Children of Helheim
by Roku - Molester of Science
Summary: Egil and Elise are the children of Hel and Balder. Not yet imbued with divine powers, they are instead relegated to a wait for their day of succession. When news of the "Blue Night" spread, the twins are sent far from Scandinavia to see the results for themselves. Yet Midgaard is not without danger. Not Overpowered OC's, somewhat slow start and heavy Character Development.
1. Introduction

Hel

Known to the ancient Scandinavians as Helheim, this the land of the dead was a dark, grey and hopeless place. It was the home of monsters and the last destination for those who had revered the Aesir of old, yet had failed to fulfil the requirements for an eternity in Valhalla.

This was where souls lingered and languished in eternal despair, doomed to roam the empty corridors of Hel's Halls. It was the place so terrible that at first, the Christian Church had found no purchase with their warnings of flame and damnation, as the Nords of old knew no fear greater than eternal languish.

It was said, that Loki, the old god of trickery, subterfuge and deceit had once fathered the very queen reigning Helheim with a cold, rotten grip. The very same Loki had then manipulated the son of Odin, Hoeder, to kill his own brother, and sent Balder, the purest and most noble Aesir to ever have existed, to the depths of Helheim itself.

For a god to die, such a thing had until then been inconceivable.

Nevertheless, it had happened, and Balder was now chained to Hel, doomed as they say, to spend all time from then on to Ragnarok itself in the chambers of Hel. And yet freedom was promised the noble god when Hermod, brother of Balder, Hoeder and Brage, the god of bards, traveled to Hel on the back of Sleipnir, eight legged steed of Odin.

Freedom would be granted Balder, as would his return to life, if all the world would weep for him.

And so the world wept. Everywhere, everyone and everything from the skies to the stones, to the animals and the men, all wept for the noble Aesir, trapped as he was in Helheim. Yet one did not. Loki, the perpetrator and doubtless manipulator who had conspired towards Balder's death, had fled Asgard to lands unknown. He was found, nonetheless, by the least probable tracker, as Hoeder, blind and with cane, had walked the world to find the last soul yet to weep for his brother. Loki disguised himself as an old crone, seeking safety in his mastery of concealment and trickery.

"Tøk will cry dry tears for Balder, son of Odin."

Such was the answer, but Hoeder while blind, possessed hearing surpassing even Heimdahl himself, it was said. As such, he was not fooled by Loki's disguise, yet could do naught to force the traitor to tears. And so it was, that because a single man remained unmoved, Balder's destiny was set in Helheim, prisoner of Hel.

It was said that goodness had truly left the world that day, when Balder most kind and noble was doomed to death to the day Ragnarok would come upon the world.

Beyond that, it remains unknown what transpired in Helheim. Balder, no doubt, was subjugated to torture and evil deeds, for such was the nature of Hela, daughter of Loki and corpse-queen of the dead.

But then, one millennia later, in a world so very different from the one to see Balder fall, why could the joyful voices of children be heard in the halls of Helheim?

* * *

 **As you might realize, this is but the introduction to a project I have in the works. It will be a Blue Exorcist story, centered around the siblings Egil and Elise, the children of Hel. Circumstances force their mother's hand, and an old friend of their grandfather offers sanctuary. If anyone here ever read the old Valhalla Comics - not Marvel - you will know some of the foundation for the story already.**

 **The story will, if I am able, go from start to finish - and maybe beyond? - of the anime, and contain my usual degree of character development, fluffiness and maybe even just a hint of budding romance.**

 **I just want to hear if there is a "market" as such for a story like this. If not, we will forget I ever brought it up.**


	2. Siblings

**Okay, so it seems like there _is_ a market for this. And apparently I was not the only person longing for a Norse-mythology mixed Blue Exorcist story. Well, turns out I have to be the one to write it, but if that's the case, then so be it. **

**As Blue Exorcist is an "old" series at this point, I do not expect a lot of attention on this story. I am fine with that, and will appreciate whomever takes the time to read and pass on their thoughts.**

 **Also, I think I'd better smack this down like a warhammer on a spike in a very verbal coffin: I do not own, produce, possess, act in, participate in, affiliate with or otherwise have any legal, familial or lawful ties or connections with Blue Exorcist. I am a fan that enjoyed the manga and anime both.**

 **Also, if you are the type to verbally kill me with fire for lore-errors, let me put it like this right away: A lot of my material and sources come from Madsens' Valhalla, thus Balder in this story never married Nana. Höder was never killed by his step-brother and Loki still lives with the gods. So, if I also need to say this, I will say it as follow: "I could not give less shits about Marvel's Thor if I was _constipated_." **

**The only good thing Stan Lee ever did with Norse Mythology was inventing Voldsdag and his two companions.**

* * *

 **Siblings**

* * *

The Halls of Helheim had always been said to be cold, grey and lifeless places.

No life would ever spring forth here, nor could it, for all who came to Hel were dead, souls of those who had died the strawdeath. For to die in bed, to die without proving one's worth to the Valkyries, that was truly the greatest shame and regret any man could face. Few women ever escaped the travel to Hel, but the shield maidens so often song about in the sagas of old, made up that distinction.

Even so, life was not known to be found in Helheim. For its queen was Hela, daughter of Loki and Atla, sister to Fenris the wolf and Jormungand, the World Serpent. All who lived and died knew Hela to be as cruel and cold as her reign, which was so aptly sharing her name.

As the centuries passed on, and a new religion claimed the hearts and minds of those who had once revered the gods, so were legends and stories forgotten or simply remembered as fairytales, stories with little merit.

Yet though the world forgot, Helheim did not cease to be. Nor did its queen. For queen Hela was death, and death endured no matter when or where one was. And as the queen endured, so did her reign. And as the reign grew prosperous in souls, so did Hela grow prosperous, though in a manner different from the myths describing her evil and corruption.

At a time, when Balder lived in Helheim, it was known to a select few that those two opposites grew close. Balder was life, goodness and nobility, while Hela was death, corruption and malice. And yet, grow closer they did, and so it happened that Hela became with child.

When born the children, for Hela bore two, were similar in their appearances, but different as day and night. While neither was cursed with the half-rotten features of their mother, the siblings both bore her ashen white hair, and pale, grey eyes.

Elise was the older of the two, though one wouldn't realize this by watching the child. Though older in name, she was seldom the mature voice, and would often be found in the midst of mischief and misdeed, most often played upon the souls languishing in the halls. When asked 'why', she would complain that Helheim, in all its cold glory, was dull. From an early age she would prefer animals to the souls of Hel, and would rather spend the day with Nidhogg Due to the nature of their home, her childhood went without friends beyond what she could make of the animals.

Egil was the younger by moments, but a sister of mischief forced upon him the role of the mature. He didn't mind her playing around with beasts of terror as much as he was annoyed by her theatrics. Due to the nature of their home, his childhood went without friends beyond what he found in the dead or the books.

This all happened so very long ago, and very few have ever offered any serious support to a single, misjudged theory of the sagas of old.

* * *

"Elise?"

Egil's voice rang through the corridors ad chambers of their home, cast between the pillars of rock, each as tall as the tallest tree, and thicker than even the towers of Valhalla.

"Eliiiiise?"

His call went unanswered once again, though it didn't deter him from keeping it up. His sister was well-known for being elusive when she wanted solitude, and few could ever claim to track her down when she wanted peace.

Egil, and he could say this without boasting, was one of those few. He had known his sister for as long as they had been alive, and knew her every quirk and turn. Time passed differently in Helheim than it would do in Midgard, where the humans lived. He had been there once, when he was still very young, and the skies had been blackened by clouds of fire and smoke.

It had been mother who had taken them both up, so many mortal years ago that no doubt every human back then was now dead. Explosions of strange and powerful kinds racked the earth, and it had been as if the humans were challenging Thor himself. Mother had said the humans might change appearances, religions and technology, but they never lost their thirst for slaughter.

It was strange that she had taken them there, as those who died on the battlefield never went to Hel. Still, it had been an experience, maybe for their education, and one he treasured though was uncertain why.

He was still quite young, though his age could not be counted accurately. Such was the way of Hela's children, for death held no sway over them in Helheim. Yet his appearance would make humans think of him as a late adolescent, something Father had explained was due to his face. And yes, he looked different from his father, in more than just the color of his hair. Still, age was a foreign concept to him, and one that sometimes caused confusion.

Elise called him stupid and dumb when he pondered these things, though he believed she was wrong. Pondering the mysteries of life, even when you could never die, was a fulfilling use of his time. _Not like there's a whole lot of other things I could be doing…_

The sound of wings in the air caused him to glance about and up. The cavernous ceilings of Helheim often stretched so high than none could see them. They intertwined with the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, which spanned the worlds.

"…why am I not even surprised?" he muttered to himself, upon seeing Nidhogg in the air. The beast was great and terrible, and Sulphur dripped from its maws when they did not breathe fire. Its scales were black and brown, gleaming in the unnatural light illuminating the halls of Hel. However it was not Nidhogg who caused him annoyance, but rather its passenger; "Elise! Mom wants to see us!"

 _Surt's asshairs, she's high up…_

"What?!" his sister, the introverted girl who preferred books and animals to humans – though they were dead, some could still tell good stories – yelled from her seat on Nidhogg's spine. Egil had never wanted to sit where she did, specifically because the great wyrm's back was covered in spikes each the length of his arm, and though nothing could truly harm them as Hela's children, he did not like the surge his abdomen gave whenever he had attempted to ride the great beast.

"Mom! Wants! To! See! Us!"

"I can't hear you! What did you say?!" it was obvious that she could, but she had never wanted to be at the beck and call of anyone, not even mother. And she could get away with it, most of the time. Despite the tales humans and Aesir alike spun about her, Hela was a forgiving, kind woman. The arrival of their father in Helheim had been what turned her from a bitter, cold woman, into the often girly, fun-loving yet stern mother who had birthed them.

"Just come down from there, will you?" he grumbled, not even bothering with raising his voice. She could pretend loss of hearing for all she wanted, but he was bored with being the errand boy whenever mother needed them both. Just because _he_ was never flying around on a great wyrm, it shouldn't have meant his day should be spent running around to find his sister; "Seriously, I'm getting tired of you always taking off."

Nidhogg clung to one of the massive pillars, digging his claws in like it was the hide of a prey, or the roots of the Tree. His passenger and master said something to the great beast, lost in the distance to Egil's ears, and the wyrm released its grip on the rock, allowing gravity to plummet them both towards the floor.

Had they been humans, Egil would have been terrified for his sister's life.

But they were not humans. And they were in Helheim, the realm of their mother. As long as she ruled, no harm would nor could come to them. He still wasn't sure how the magic behind it truly worked, but had resigned himself to learning that when the time was right. As such, he simply watched in silence as the great beast spread its wings and arrested their fall _meter_ above the hard granite. When the wyrm touched down and dug its claws into the floor, Elise slid off like a human would off a horse. She landed with lightly bended knees and straightened up, stretching as had she only woken from a nap.

"Hey, Egil." She greeted him, though her attention was kept on Nidhogg. The great wyrm rolled its eyes in satisfaction as the daughter of Hel ran her hands underneath his jaw and throat. Compared to him, the girl was tiny, like a cat to a human.

"…Hey, Elise."

It was funny how power so rarely had anything to do with size. This was also something Egil often pondered, but remained quiet about as his sister caressed and stroke the gnawer of the World Tree. A deep, guttural rumble echoed through the chamber as the wyrm shook its head and neck, allowing loose skin to flail about like a wet sail.

"So, what were you saying?" she said, offering the wyrm one last stroke before sending it off with a clap on the side. The buffeting winds from its wings made Egil's clothes fly behind him, making him feel as if he stood in a storm.

"Mom wants to see us." He repeated, crossing both arms before his chest. Elise mirrored his stance, no doubt attempting to annoy him. Well, it worked; "It's important."

"Really? Why?" she dropped her arms and looked at him with honest curiosity in her eyes. White hair and grey eyes sometimes gave one the illusion that she was older and therefore more mature than him, but although the first was true, the second remained false.

"Something's happened in Midgard." He explained, and it was truly all he knew. Mother had simply told him to go fetch his sister due to events in the world of humans, and he assumed it was time for a new excursion to the surface. _I wonder if the humans realize we never left…they chose new gods, but we remained yet._

Had _they_ been forgotten due to the Aesir's slight, because the gods had neglected their duty? And yet, when the humans died, it did not matter whom they believed in. Those souls that did not enter Valhalla or the paradise set by the Christians, would end up here, in Hel.

He supposed most were relieved when they came here, discovering not eternal fire and torture, but instead an eternity of contemplation. Unless they went mad first, of course. There were a lot of souls going mad when they appeared in Hel.

Not that he understood why. Hel was far less torturous than it had once been, and now lush fields covered many halls once dark and cold. Flowers sprouted in every crook near Hel's throne, and what souls accepted this eternity often seemed to enjoy it. Helheim knew no suffering, no torture and no hunger.

And yet, souls would rather languish than accept this. Humans, he had realized long ago, were unknowable. And for that, they interested him even more.

When entering Hel's throne room, Nidhogg was already in his wont place, resting behind the throne with the tip of his tail slung around its base. Around the throne itself, residing on trunks and boulders in the midst of a grassy field, Hel's court was attending what business they preferred. Mother rarely if ever used the court for anything but keeping an eye on the ongoings of her realm, and preferred letting Father deal with the more delicate cases.

Hela Atlasdottir herself, queen of Helheim, presided upon her throne. Once, it was said to have been made of the bones of the dead, yet now it was carved wood. Intricate symbols still decorated the dark seat, radiating magic into the air. It made the room simultaneously cold and hot, causing Egil's breath to appear before him.

Mother had once been said to be half-corpse, half-woman. Grandfather had taken her to Hel, wanting to shelter her from prejudice and malice she would have no doubt faced in Asgard. Her mother was a giantess, and as such she was detested by the Aesir. Egil and Elise had both watched from behind cover when Odin, King of the gods, had paid them a visit centuries ago. He had once more attempted to take Father back to Asgard, yet Father had chosen to remain.

The Aesir were not their friends, that much Odin had left clear that day.

Now, Hela, the queen and their mother, was headed towards them both, letting her robes drag on the grass behind her. Her dress was simple and meager for a queen, but fitting for the goddess of the dead. It was plain, green and grey. Her dress ended at the collarbone, revealing skin that showed far more life than rot. Once, her face had been split between decay and life, yet now all that was left were wrinkles and warts on the left of her face, while the right was as any living woman. Eyes rumored to harbor only cold and wrath now radiated warmth and affection as she watched her children approach. Her lips creased in a warm, slight smile, and she held out her arms for them to embrace her.

They did so, pretending not to notice the way some in court would no doubt snicker at the display.

When softer, lighter steps treaded the grass, both looked up to see their father approach. He, contrary to them, aged like the gods, and as such depended on the golden apples Ydun provided. He would not need another for many years to come, but his face still aged as the centuries passed by. His hair was still as golden as Mother said it had been when he had first arrived, and his chin as smooth as then too. Only his eyes stood out as older, holding a dulled blue instead of the radiant young he had once possessed.

And because they were a family and cared little for the gossip at court, the children hugged him as well.

"Have you told them yet?" Balder, son of Odin and prince of Asgard, asked of their mother. His voice never strayed from friendly, and nothing ever seemed to anger the man. From what Egil had discovered in his books, it was not odd that the Christians had used him as a model for their founder.

"I thought it best we discussed this when all were here." Hela, daughter of Loki, queen of Helheim, replied, eying her husband with a thin smile. When she stood back and started walking, they all knew to follow. Even now, there were pathways and corridors in their home that only she knew of; "Let us retire to the studies, shall we?"

The studies, also known as the family library, was where both children had received the majority of their education. Throughout the centuries, scholars and knowledgeable men and women had entered Helheim upon death, and those worthy had been tasked with tutoring the twins in the events and history of Midgard. As magic permeated Helheim, books of vast knowledge had been available regardless of the subject, and their education had been sound, likely far superior to what humans ever received.

Mother took a chair at the end of one of the long tables, beckoning for them to sit as well. When both children had seated, and Father took the seat next to her, Mother pulled a book of newer origins from one of the shelves and placed it before them all. It was runic script, yes, but the events were detailed to have transpired in Midgard, fifteen human years ago.

"I am very well aware that you both know Helheim is not your prison." She started out, a wry tone to her words. None spoke, and she seemed to take that as goodwill to continue; "While Asgard, Vanaheim and Alfheim surely hold magic and fairies, lately Midgard has become the more interesting of the realms. Now, fifteen years ago, an event transpired in Midgard. The humans who know about it call it the 'Blue Night'."

"…Blue?" Egil looked between his parents, wondering what could have transpired to warrant a color for its name.

"An old creature, old enough to have been around when Ymir was brought down, murdered a number of humans that night. Each was a member of what they call 'Exorcists', an order of human warriors dedicated to fight what their church classifies as demons." When Hela paused, it was with clear expectation in her eyes. Expectation that her children ought know what ancient evil she meant.

"Someone or something deemed evil by their church…" Egil mused, tapping a finger on the heavy wood. Yggdrasil's roots made for good furniture, a small, petty way of paying the gods back; "…is it the god they call 'Satan'?"

"Ruler of what they refer to as "Gehenna", yes." Their mother nodded; "Now, for the most part, we have remained out of each other's affairs. Satan does not possess the ability to enter any of the nine worlds, and we have no desire to enter his, making for what you could call an easy truce."

"I'm guessing the 'for the most part' as ended?" Elise sighed, twirling white hair around her fingers. Instead of Mother replying, now Father spoke up.

"You are right, Elise. Something happened recently that made it clear Satan does not intend to keep to himself." Their father sighed, sounding as if he was disappointed with Satan. As the god of goodness, no doubt that was exactly the case; "As you might be aware, _my_ father oftentimes made trips to Midgard with…business, in mind. Satan somehow did the same, and a human woman gave birth to twins, each his son."

"So…why is that a sign of him not keeping to himself?" Elise inquired, sounding halfway between bored and interested. Egil glanced at his sister, wishing she would be more serious when the situation so clearly demanded it; "I mean, most of the Aesir used to go to the other worlds to get laid."

"Because of what happened last night." Mother replied. Her expression, minutes ago warm, was now set in the very bedrock they stood on; "Somehow, Satan managed to use one of his sons to open a gate between his realm and Midgard. The gate was destroyed soon after, but the fact is that we still don't know what transpired, or how it ended. We only know that Satan is looking for means to open the barrier between Gehenna and Midgard, which would most likely lead to the latter's extinction if it came to be."

"Damn…that's actually pretty bad."

"That's an understatement." Egil sighed, looking at their parents for confirmation. When they both seemed to agree, he sighed again; "if Midgard is wiped out, so will we. Much as you don't seem to realize it, Elise, Hel, Asgard and every other world is tied to Midgard by the World Tree. If Satan destroys Midgard, the giants of Niflheim will no doubt take the chance."

"…Damn…So, Ragnarok, basically?"

"Yes, that is what we fear." Hela nodded, her expression unchanged from the stone; "The children of Satan, however, seem defiant of him, and will soon start training to become Exorcists, though as I understand it, the younger already started…" Mother paused and turned a page in the book; "The leader of the place they will be trained has agreed to accepting the two of you as initiates."

The room fell silent.

"We're… _what_?" Elise growled after minutes of uneasy quiet. Her hair slowly started rising with her disbelief; "You're just, just now, telling us we're going to Midgard because, what, the Christians finally cocked it up?"

"Your purpose there is officially to learn what you can and show that while the Church might view us on par with Satan, we are protectors of order, not the chaos he would bring." Father said, lacing his hands on the table. His voice, while tired, gave off a sense of wisdom that silenced Elise; "There is another reason, however. With the renewed attacks from 'demons' in most of Midgard, the Church has also stepped up their attempts to engage _us_. Asgard and the other realms are safely away, but Helheim is physically tied with Midgard. Your safety is most assured elsewhere than here, regardless of how insignificant the threat may seem."

"Odin's ballsack…" his sister swore. While it was under her breath, the words still caught their father, who coughed when processing the image they no-doubt conjured; "Can we at least bring Nidhogg?"

" _No_." both parents replied in unison. Egil couldn't really see how Elise would plan on brining the wyrm anyway. No way the humans would miss something like _that_ flying around. Father relented first; "But…later, maybe, seeing as the school _is_ -"

" _School_?" now Egil was the one staring; "You're sending us…to a _human_ school?"

"No, no, no…" Mother groaned; "You'll be going to the "True Cross" Academy, the center of exorcist-training and where both Satan's sons will also be. Behave, and keep an eye on them. Don't do anything to provoke religious authorities, but your identities are your own to keep secret. You are both old enough to handle _that_ , I hope."

"So…we're supposed to be trained by _Christians_?" Elise piped up, her voice now more defeated than defiant; "Fenris, that _sucks_."

"If that's your biggest issue with this…?" Mother asked, looking mainly at Elise. When Egil's sister simply pouted and looked away, he then became center of the attention; "Egil, what do you say?"

"Do you want us to befriend the sons of Satan?" he quietly asked, unsure of his own feelings on the matter.

"That will remain your respective decisions. But I do want you to keep an eye on them, nonetheless." She said, then paused, as if there was something important she had forgotten; "On that note…I would not think it smart to mention to others around you what their identities are."

"…Because they would be labeled enemies?"

"Yes. At least, that is my assumption, unless the church has changed any in the past six centuries." She sighed and closed the book; " _If_ , and this is only in the worst case scenario, they turn out to plan on opening the gates to Satan's realm, I want you to stop them."

The finality in her voice betrayed that conversations were not on her mind. She meant the sons of Satan would have to die, if they should prove themselves enemies. _I suppose first impressions will be kind of important, then…_

"What can we bring?" he then asked, looking at his father, then back to mother; "aside from not bringing a wyrm with us."

"From what I could understand from my father, most exorcists will be required to become a warrior of some form… as such, I would bring a weapon." Hela looked from Egil to Elise, then back to Egil; "As I understand it, magical weapons and items are allowed, so Bani will be allowed, due to its size."

"So he gets to bring his hammer. What about me?"

"…Garmr will be going with _you_ , Elise." Their mother answered, and it took the girl a moment to process what the queen had said. Then, her eyes, grey though they might be, shone with surprise; "Realize that I am only loaning him to you because he is the sole of my servants who can be among humans without causing panic. You will be allowed to summon him at whatever time he might be needed, so take heart in that, daughter."

Luckily it wasn't the Jormungand, then. There was no way in Hel or Asgard that the World Serpent could be brought amongst humans. And Sleipnir was also out, simply because the horse was loyal to Odin before all else.

Which would have left Fenris, if not for the fact that the dire-wolf was just _too big_ to have around humans. And suddenly his own hammer would have seemed insignificant compared to his uncle. Good thing then, because he wasn't very _fond_ of the chained beast. Fearsome though he might look, Garmr was at least loyal beyond measure, and could pass for a normal hound.

"So…who's the leader, since he's _agreed_ to accept us?" he asked, looking mostly at his mother.

While Loki technically still resided in Asgard, it was no secret that he was anything but popular.

"A man my father once met in Midgard, Mephisto Pheles, I believe his name is." Mother said, resting her chin over her hands; "From what I could understand, Pheles is not human either, but what exactly he _is_ , I couldn't determine. Take care, when around him." _Considering Father remaining here means grandfather is on Asgard's permanent shit-list, I suppose he has the right to a few secrets…_

"Yes mother."

"Now then…" when Hela stood, so did Balder, and subsequently, their children. She looked at them both, and clapped her hands together; "I believe we have some packing to do."

Egil shared a look with his sister, though he knew they thought differently on the situation. She, he guessed, was not keen on the idea and would rather remain in Helheim where she could act like she wanted, ride her wyrm and avoid social contact.

He, on the other hand, was starting to see this as a golden opportunity.

* * *

 **As some might have realized, I am basing the Norse mythology heavily off of Madsen's Valhalla, a comic series staying true to the myths and sagas to such a degree that they make Marvel's 'Thor' look like 'the Hulk'.**

 **Since watching the anime many months ago now, I always wanted to see if there was a story integrating Norse mythology into the universe of Blue Exorcist. By all rights there should have been just that, as no religion regardless of age or popularity, boasted the sheer awesomeness of the Asgardian gods, nor maintained as long a grip on their respective cultures as Asatru did, and still does to this day.**

 **I have always been pretty passionate about the culture of my people, but it was only after my tour in New Zealand, as far from Denmark as this planet will take you, that I truly found myself diving into the myths and sagas that founded Scandinavia. Contrary to popular beliefs, the Asatru Pagans of Scandinavia were some of the most tolerant people to be found. There was no such thing as religious persecution, damnation for your sins or torture of prisoners. There were no crusades and no one was killed because they followed a different god.**

 **We even had an Arabian diplomat visiting in the early millennia, who later wrote in great details about how, despite his initial impression that the Scandinavians were savage compared to their counterparts at the Mediterranean, the people of the north were friendlier, more given to sharing, bathed more often and – and I shit you not – extremely good looking. Yes, a man traveling the known world decided we looked so damn great that it had to be documented for future reference.**

 **The Scandinavians had medicine and written language long before Christianity arrived, though we did not have stockades, inquisitions or witch burnings.**

 **There were many reasons I found myself immersed into this seemingly forgotten culture, each as important as the other. In the end though, I think it remains the fact that while God needed to be feared for the first fifteen hundred years of Christianity's run, the Aesir never demanded your fear, nor your love in return for "salvation".**

 **In the end though, this is just _my_ personal opinion. Doesn't mean it's true, doesn't mean it's false.**

 **Even our version of Hell – surprising how alike the words are, wouldn't you say? – was very similar to Paradise. It was calm, serene and peaceful. Only, there was no need to praise someone twenty-four hours a day.**

 **As a final note, I would very much like to hear reactions, thoughts and even criticism - constructive, if you please - on this story. I'm probably going to be following both the manga _and_ the anime, taking the best from both worlds when possible.**


	3. The Source of Dark Magic

**Alright, second – or third, if you count the introduction – chapter is up.**

 **After sound suggestions were made for it, I changed Elise's companion to Garmr instead of Fenris, so the Great Wolf is still chained in the marshes.**

 **This is where the touch stuff begins, as integrating with the manga/anime is a difficult thing to do. Still, I am reading through the manga as well, and I realize there are quite a few differences.**

 **I wonder who came up with ramming a truck into the monastery…**

* * *

 **The Source of Dark Magic**

* * *

Birds of variants fluttered and soared through the air, many of variants he had never seen before. The skies were blue, a stark contrast to how he remembered them the last time he had been to the realm of the humans. The air smelled clear and clean, free of Sulphur and pollution like the streets of human cities were supposed to.

The humans, as well, were different. They were of a more healthy color, and seemed to feel none of the depressions so often tied with war. Hair of all variations colored the crowds he did his best to stay out of, and more than once did he see a man with pink, or a girl with green hair.

Cables of different sorts were suspended above the roads and streets, carrying electricity to their destinations. Electricity, he had found, was the closest humans seemed to get to magic, and it was disturbingly close. Bohr, one of their tutors, had pressed on the fact that the world now would no doubt be filled with this human invention, and that its presence had altered the human race forever.

Since last he had been to Midgard, Egil found it had…changed.

"I must say, I did not expect the place to appear so…fortified." Father was with them, as he could pass for a human far easier than Mother. Not to mention the fact that Mother was unable to leave Helheim at all. All had dressed as plainly as possible, as it was far the wiser option to avoid unwanted attention, and dark grey and green robes with hoods covered protective vests of leather inside. The robes were tied up wherever probable, letting next to nothing flail in the wind. Father, of course, had to be the one to wear brighter colors, being the god of Light that he was.

"It reminds me more of a fortress than a place of learning." Egil muttered, trying to make out the details of the "Academy" from where they stood. He couldn't, for outside of Helheim he had found his magic waving with uncomfortable speed. It was disconcerting, but as long as it did not pose a threat, he refused to let it ruin the experience. When he looked around, he noticed something else; "I do not see anyone but us with dark clothes. Maybe this was a bad choice of robes?"

"Regardless of whether or not it blends in, you must ensure that _you_ do, above all else." Father said, walking forward with them towards the entrance to the castle-like structure. Egil couldn't see where _it_ ended and the town stated, but noticed that a great many of the students, as they were called, had curiously shaped eyes. Blending in would seem to be more difficult than expected; "You can read their numbers and their letters, and you speak a language they share. I don't foresee more trouble than you can handle."

"Everyone's so _small_." Elise muttered, glancing about with undisguised uncomfortableness. She had not been well at home amongst the many souls in Helheim, and seeing this many humans no-doubt had her uneasy; "How many winters…how _old_ do you think they are?"

"They seem varied, in that." Egil replied, noticing that some of the humans seemed to be everywhere from early adolescents to late in their teens; "Many look nothing like the humans we saw last time."

"This _is_ a different part of Midgard." Father kindly reminded them, putting a hand on each sibling's shoulder as they moved. Due to their perceived age, this caused some nearby humans to snicker at the siblings.

It was brought to a swift, withering end with a glare so cold it could have frozen Niflheim over, and Egil noticed Elise smirk in satisfaction. Oh Fenris, this was going to end up with him stopping fights soon, wasn't it?

"Remember, you are guests in this realm, and without the protection of home." Father said, directing his words at Elise; "Pheles is an unknown to me, so I do not know what to expect if he finds you dissatisfactory."

"Yes, Father."

"Good."

"Father?" Elise asked, visibly growing more and more uncomfortable with the amount of looks directed at them.

"Yes, Elise?"

"How long must we remain here? I don't think I like it…" her expression had lost its snide and now seemed depressed before all. Egil, despite welcoming the change himself, was not ignorant to how his sister felt. This was a new place, and a world she had seen with such gaps in time that neither had any practical knowledge of what to do and say; "Can I take Garmr out?"

"Elise."

"Just for a moment."

"Elise." Father stopped before what seemed to be the entrance, and placed both hands on her shoulder. Egil tried to pretend he wasn't related to the fidgeting girl, but the hair, skin and clothing betrayed him; "You will be fine, and perfectly safe. Your brother is here with you, and I have no doubts in my heart that when you meet your fellows, you will find friends in at least some. Humans are nothing if not diverse, and I know for a fact that good resides in all young hearts. Be friendly, smile and do not be rude, and I promise you that you will like it here."

Egil, meanwhile, wandered a bit off, trying to put some meters between himself and the embarrassing scene. He had no doubt that Father was right, and that "good" resided in the people around them, but despite his time in Helheim, Balder, son of Odin, was still so very naïve to the fact that malice easily resided right next to it

If he had just been sent here alone, everything would have been so much more simple.

"Ah, there you are." Had Egil not been distracted, he would have leapt with surprise when a loud, theatric voice shouted with joy from just a meter away; "Egil Baldersson, so good to finally meet you."

Instead, he managed to compose himself just enough that he could turn and meet the speaker's eyes. And what eyes they were, as far from a human's as his own, watching him from a face of pale skin with purple beard and hair. Till now he had believed his own hair to stand out, but this man looked so abnormal that there was no way in Surt's socks he was a human being.

" _From what I could understand, Pheles is not human either, but what exactly he is, I couldn't determine. Take care, when around him."_ Mother's words echoed in his mind as he watched the unmoving, grinning face with as much calm as he could muster. Surely, this man, being clearly inhuman, would possibly be 'Mephisto'.

"I am." He nodded; "Who would you be then, that you know me?"

"My name…" the strange non-human leaned back and spread out his arms like he was offering himself up to the gods. Egil, for all he was confused, managed to only stare and blink, though he wanted very much to step back; "…is Mephisto Pheles!"

Egil took pleasure in considering himself of a good memory, yet it took him several painful seconds to remember what the man named 'Mephisto Pheles' was. When he did, his hopes for the quality of the coming training took something of a dive. While Egil knew _his_ clothing was likely to be considered unusual amongst humans, Pheles looked utterly absurd.

A thick, white coat covered the majority of his body, while a massive, white and purple hat towered on his head. A thin walking cane was in his hand, though he did not seem in need of support. _This man…is decisively odd…_

"…you are the leader of the True Cross Academy?" Egil deadpanned, though did his upmost to make his tone respectful. Even if he didn't understand the reasons behind Mephisto's appearance, Mother's words had warned him to take care around this man. And yet, he was curious; "…are you human?"

"I am as human as you, dear boy." When fangs showed as Mephisto smiled, Egil knew it was the wrong thing to ask. Taking a breath, he calmed down and gathered his thoughts.

"Forgive me, it was an imprudent question." He had seen already how many of the people around him bowed their heads for all sorts of reasons, and assumed it was a human custom. And though neither of them were humans, he found it wise to observe customs; "I am Egil Baldersson, yes. I appreciate you accepting myself and my sister as initiates."

"Oh but yes, where _is_ the dear girl?"

"I am here." From behind Mephisto, Elise and Father had appeared. His sister seemed like she had recovered, for now the same, indifferent look remained in her eyes as before. Father still had a hand on her shoulder, but stood a little removed so she could move herself; "I am Elise Helasdottir."

"Splendid, splendid." The academy's leader wandered to Father, who maintained a pleasant smile, yet his eyes reminded Egil of a wary predator, on the alert for danger. Even he was not so naïve as to miss Mephisto's inhumane appearance; "And this must be the noble Balder. My, you look healthy for a dead guy."

"A pleasure." Father nodded, greeting Mephisto with a hand clenched over his heart; "As the leader of this academy, I will be entrusting my only children to you. I know I cannot ask that you guarantee their safety against what you train to face, but I ask that you keep the Church from interfering."

"Mmmm? My, aren't we in a good mood?" Mephisto chuckled, holding his hands up as if offering peace; "Of course, the students at the academy will have some oversight from the Order of the True Cross, but if you worry that the Vatican will threaten sweet Elise and Egil here, I can most definitely assure you that their presence remains as unknown as the color of my socks!"

"…I can _see_ your socks…" Elise muttered, pointing at the purple covers around Mephisto's ankles.

"Underwear then." The man replied as if he had planned it all along. Egil forced his face to remain passive, though inside he was in turmoil of whether or not to laugh. Clearly, there was a reason grandfather had taken a liking to this man. Mephisto then dug inside a pocket on his chest, deeper and deeper until his arm had vanished to the elbow; "Now, let me see…I think I have it…somewhere…"

Egil shared a look with his sister. For once, they seemed likeminded in the disbelief at the sheer oddity of what was presented. Father said nothing, though his eyes had changed from guarded to glancing about, perhaps looking for sensibility where none was to be found.

"Ah, I remember it now…" Mephisto retracted his arm from his chest, holding out his hand before snapping his fingers; "Eins, Swei, Drei!"

A small puff of smoke was all the indication something had happened, but now, Mephisto held two sacks of equal size. Egil stared, though he was certain Elise stared harder. Clearly, Mephisto had just performed magic, putting down the final nail to the fact that he was anything but human. Voelvas had always been the nearest humans came to magic, and those woman were few and far between.

"What…was that?" Father broke the silence before either sibling could; "I was aware you are not a human, Pheles, but I have not seen this kind of magic before."

"Children, oh sweet flowers of youth, require uniforms to attend the academy." Mephisto grinned as he reached forward and offered each sibling a sack; "These contain the mandatory uniforms for entrance into the True Cross Campus Town. Wear them at all times, and your time here shall be oh so much more grand…also, the key you will need is in there as well."

"…Thank you, Mephisto." Elise muttered as she took her sack. Egil took his without a word beyond nodding.

"Oh, please, call me Sir Pheles. Everyone else does." If the man was being deliberately sarcastic, Egil was unable to detect it. Still, countless of tutors in various subjects had taught him to recognize an order from a suggestion, and this was definitely the former; "Well, I would suggest you change, and head for the atrium. Oh, and before anything else: Magic is not something humans normally possess, so I would take care not to show off. That is, unless you're like me. Then showing off is quite mandatory!"

Before either sibling nor their father could respond, Mephisto snapped his fingers once again. Instead of vanishing however, in his place was what seemed to be a cat. Or maybe a puppy. Egil was unable to decide, as he had rarely seen animals beyond what spawned in Hel.

"I knew it, he's got a _hundr ham_." Elise snarked, crouching near the small animal. Its eyes, however, were not those of a dog's. They held intelligence and a self-imposed sense of finesse. Somehow; "Why the change?"

"I'm going to show you the way." When the _hundr_ , for Egil could not call it a dog, spoke with Mephisto's voice, it was close to unsettling. And somehow, no one nearby seemed to take note but the three of them; "Say your farewells to your father, then follow me."

Perhaps as a show of curtesy, Mephisto scuttled off, stopping just meters away. Still, he had moved.

"Egil, Elise." Father spoke, placing a hand on both their shoulders; "Do your best. Your mother and I love you and hold your capabilities in the highest of regards. If you set your minds on it, this can be an opportunity you will recall with joy centuries from now. We are not asking you to do this _us_ proud, for we always will be, but to make yourselves proud."

"Oh, Dad…" Elise hugged him. For Egil, it was rare to see her display her emotions so openly. And yet, he too wished he could stay with their parents, let nothing change. But he also knew this was for the best. An opportunity like this might never come again; "I'll miss you and mom."

"Be safe, and listen to your tutors. Make friends, and be kind to those around you." Father pressed the words like they were his code, and in truth, they mostly were. When he lifted his eyes to Egil, the boy suppressed any emotions, refusing to let so many around them watch him weep. He would not; "Egil, I know you will do the same. Take care of your sister and make friends. This might be the sole chance either of you will ever have for such insight into the human's world. Don't waste it."

"We won't." Egil declared, holding a clenched fist over his heart; "We will make you proud, and do what we must."

"Then this is farewell, until we meet once more." When Father stood from Elise, Egil felt like he could see his sister crack open. For all she behaved wild and rude, this was overwhelming her. She had never wanted to go to Midgard, had never wanted to leave Helheim. She had been born to become the next queen, so Midgard held little interest to her.

And now, as Father departed, she would be trapped here, or at least feel like it was so. He, on the other hand, could see the brightness to this, and was determined to help her through it. _It's going to be fine. No one knows who we really are, and we look like humans. As long as no trouble comes for us, all will be well._

This might even turn out to be fun.

"If you'll follow me to the atrium, the Matriculation ceremony will begin shortly." The transformed shape of Mephisto offered, his voice carrying indifference and yet amusement; "But first, I would suggest you change. Those robes will surely draw eyes."

* * *

Inside, the academy was a massive complex of halls and corridors, each window set in colored glass that would have fit in better with the Christians churches than a place for training warriors. Everything was in stone, and the floors were lined with rugs and carpets that softened their steps.

Students flocked around a set of massive, open doors. As the siblings stepped beyond, the room became a cavernous chamber, large enough that it might not have been an odd sight in Helheim or Asgard. As it was clear students were to find their own seats, Egil took his sister by the wrist and led her to one of the rear-most seats.

She had refused to meet his eyes since putting on the uniform, and he understood her reasons. He knew, as he had been raised by Hela herself, that his views and those of his parents were old-fashioned by human standards, as mortals changed in the blink of eyes, but what Elise now wore showed off so much of her legs that she might as well have stripped. _No doubt that thing will look very different the moment no one's looking_.

In truth, he himself was not overtly fond of the change in his own clothing. Robes were airy and familiar, offering both warmth and coolness depending on the season, but this new 'uniform', was tight around his body and felt constricting to his arms and legs. If he were to swing Bani, he had little doubt his arms would tear. _Still…at least the color suits me._

Even though it served to highlight his hair. While Elise's was tied back in braids upon braids, his now laid exposed as it reached his neck. It was another reason he had chosen seats this far back. Egil's eyes wandered the crowd, looking for the sole person to carry a sword.

"First-Year Student Representative…Okumura Yukio!"

All Mother had known about the Sons of Satan was that one carried a sword, though she had not been able to find what kind, how large or if he even carried it in public. _But if I see someone with a sword, surely that would be him._

Down below, near the central stage of the atrium, a young man now stood. Like most others there, his hair was black and little other detail could be seen from this angle. There was no sword on his back, but Egil still decided to pay attention. Every word spoken here was knowledge about the humans and how Midgard had developed.

"To be able to join you here at True Cross, a school I've long admired, is something that is both thrilling, _and_ sobering _._ "

He was reading aloud from a text, so no doubt this young man was the representative for those of the first year. _Which means…me, and Elise, actually…I wonder. If anyone would know the identity of Satan's sons, or at least where to find one carrying a sword, surely that would be him?_

"So I urge you all to study hard, be diligent and uphold the standards of this special place." At those last words, Egil found himself letting his gaze wander, not to the students, but to the room itself. At first, in the darkness, he had thought it a plain room, but now he could see how statues – _Christian_ statues – lined the walls. He knew they were just cut stone, not alive. But then, _why do I feel like they're all glaring at us?_ "I am your Freshman Representative, Yukio Okumura."

In truth, Egil found the rest of the ceremony to be as he had expected. Tutors had often regaled on the days of their lives, describing the academies and schools they had attended or tutored from. He knew fairly well that the rules of an educational facility, even one dedicated to training Exorcists, would also have regular facilities so as to not neglect a normal education. _After all, most people here are kids, few older than eighteen seasons…_

But Exorcist-training would begin already today.

"Did you see either of them?" when back outside, following a group of students and a tutor, Egil tried to find if his sister had seen what he had not. He was answered by a shake of her head, while she angrily attempted to pull the short dress further down. Her skin was far paler than the other girls around, and she visibly resented the attention it got her. _That and our hair…I wonder…Hold up, what is that sensation?_

"Wait…" when they followed the group of students through what could only be described as a Valhalla's insides, a bright, cavernous hall so tall it felt as if they were outside, Elise grabbed him by his wrist and pointed forward, far forward to their left; "Can you feel it? Some sort of magic, up ahead."

"…Yes, I feel it." he whispered, moving further back. As they made up the rear of the group, no one seemed to notice them slowing down. The stairs they walked moved on their own, and even when standing still they remained in motion; "It's dark magic, that much I recognize, but…it isn't any kind or form I have felt before."

"It must be them." Elise urged, something like real agitation in her voice; "That means they're close, right? We should look for anyone wielding or carrying a sword!"

"Be more quiet, will you?" he hushed her, putting a finger on his lips; "Yes, we will look around for the source, but please, speak more softly."

"…right, forgive me."

Egil blinked, unused to his sister being so obedient. In most cases she would object, simply for the amusement of it, yet now she seemed to be serious. Maybe she was actually as dedicated to this as he was. If so, he was relieved. Working with her would be easier than working alone while keeping an eye on her, and it would help her alleviate some of the frustration. _Hopefully._

"Well, we should probably start then." It only felt right to pursue the target the moment they had a sense of direction. _Also, there's a fairly good chance we will be training together, so if we follow the source, we also find the training grounds._

He did not wish to appear lost to his sister however, and so he kept the last bit to himself.

They followed the source around the area, coming across one room or chamber more fantastic than the other. Of course, in sheer size Helheim was superior and always would be, but the humans had…art, he had to admit, and not with much reluctance he found himself admiring some of the details in walls or windows. _Their God is evidently popular, as so many of these pieces are dedicated to him…Still, regardless of the motive, I cannot deny their talents._

Finally, the source seemed to stop moving, and Egil felt his heart almost tremble with anticipation. With each step closer, the source became more distinct, more detailed, more potent. Now, he could almost see their destination through the walls, and felt the hairs stand on his neck. Putting a hand on the end of his hair, he kept it from visibly rising. Elise's was tied in braids for the same reason.

When they came within what could have been a stone's throw's distance, the source became sufficiently distinct that a realization the siblings. _There's just one of them!_

"Egil, I think the source sat quite near us in the atrium." Elise's words shocked him out of thought. Even as he turned to stare, she was moving forward, hands clasped behind her back as if to keep them from her dress; "I thought at first it was just my unease, but now that we are close, the sensation is similar. Did you not feel it?"

"I felt…uneasy, but nothing more." He admitted with not a small shred of shame. He knew Elise surpassed him in many ways, but that she was more strongly tied with the world's magic he had not expected. Nor hoped for, but it still was not a great surprise. She was destined to inherit Helheim, after all; "But if there is only one, where is the other?"

"…don't know." She muttered, stopping at the door to what seemed like a study. Only this was clearly made with dozens of students in mind, and held rows upon rows of desks. When he watched his sister, he saw her fingers clench upon the frame, digging shallow trails into the wood; "He's in there. I see a young man with a long object on his back."

Egil saw him too, and felt now how the magic permeated the room. When he closed his eyes, he could see the waves of energy on the inside of his eyelids, as if they were rings in the water all originating from the same dropped pebble.

There he was, just as Elise said. Near the windows, looking at nothing, a lean young man of black hair was slouched in one of the many chairs. It did not take much effort to realize he was pointedly ignoring the other students in the room, and Egil realized why, as well. _To think, we're tracking a 'weirdo'. I don't know the term, but I doubt it is praise. So, does that mean the humans here are aware of his nature?_

It wasn't hard to see the pointy ears now. Egil had never seen pictures of Satan, nor what his spawn was supposed to look like, but the apparent "Son" they had found, resembled an elf, if only in appearance.

"So…what do we do now?" Elise whispered, glancing between Egil and the target. Neither knew his name, and Christians didn't go by Fathers' names, so calling him 'Satansson' was – while it would no doubt get his attention – not be positively received; "I mean, we're going to be training with him, so…do we just go in and say 'hi'?"

"…Sure." In truth, Egil doubted it was a sound idea, but it was the only one he had. And just because _they_ knew the non-human's true nature, it did not mean he knew theirs, or would have to. _Right, first impressions. If he's opening the barrier, we kill him. If not…There could be common ground to find?_

" _What?_ " Elise hissed, palming him in the chest; "But what if he can sense us the same way we can sense him? I doubt the Church will discriminate, and my magic feels like crap up here. I don't wanna end up on a pyre."

"The rider of Nidhogg…fears fire?" he knew it was in bad taste, but the irony still caused a chuckle to escape; "If something happens, you can call Garmr for help. Even _Odin_ fears him."

"I…guess." Elise sighed, pulling in air. When she released it in an explosive huff, Egil allowed her to lead the charge, so to speak. Hopefully hostilities were less likely if a woman led. Wasn't that how Christians thought? Still, he could assume nothing yet. _We just greet him, explain that we are foreigners and that we are in the same class. Nothing more._

When they approached him, at first the son of Satan did not seem to notice them. It was only when they stopped beside him, and Elise grew uncomfortable with the anticipation, that Egil cleared his throat and called attention upon himself.

The son of Satan had human eyes. It was an odd realization, Egil knew that, and yet he couldn't help but marvel that the spawn of such old evil had eyes so decisively _human_. Yes, there were nonhuman traits about him, primarily his ears, but the eyes relaxed him.

"Can I help you…two?"

"H-hello, I'm Elise Helassdo…I mean, I'm Elise" his sister clenched her fists behind the small of her back as she fumbled with the words, causing Egil to cringe. With so many Christians around, their names would no doubt be recognized and something really bad would happen. The Church had burned people alive for less.

"Rin Okumura…" the student replied awkwardly, sounding and seeming more confused than annoyed with their presence. That, at least, was good. And they now had a name: Rin Okumura. _Okumura….Why does that name sound so…familiar. Njord's balls, that was the young man in the atrium, Juko Okumura!_

"And I am Egil Baldersson…" Oh. Now he'd done it. No doubt priests would now be rushing in for the kill. Egil hesitated, looking about. He was surprised and elated both when it appeared that no one gave a damn about their conversation; "My sister and I are from Scandinavia. We're foreigners, and have been told we are in the same class as you."

"…class?" Rin's eyes narrowed. Either he was suspicious or simply processing the word. Finally, his eyes widened and went between the both of them. Likely, he was pondering how odd or different they looked; "You mean you two are gonna become Exorcists?"

"Y-yes, we're going to become Exorcists, but we don't know where to go." Elise nodded furiously, averting her eyes. Egil had never seen his sister _blush_ before. He hadn't even known she was capable of doing so, but now the reddened cheeks stood out from her pale skin. If it hadn't been so clear that she was uncomfortable with the situation, Egil would have thought something else might have happened; "So…do you know w-where to go?"

"…Damn, no…I was kinda just walking around, hoping someone would tell me…" Rin grumbled and stood, adjusting the long object on his back. If it was a sword, Egil could not understand the reason for having it packed like that. In combat, unpacking it would take time; "So, you two don't speak Japanese?"

"But you speak Anglian, so that works, right?" Egil found himself asking. And regretted it, while keeping his face a pleasant mask. _Of course he does, otherwise he wouldn't understand a word we said._

"You mean English, right?" Rin scratched his neck, almost as if he felt uncomfortable. While Elise had never tried interacting with the dead, Egil had found they did not possess a great range of expressions, and was unable to read Okumura; "Whatever..."

"So…how old are you two, anyway?" Rin asked as the trio walked down the still crowded hallways of the academy. Elise had pointedly placed Egil between them, leaving the brother with the impression that she did not like Rin. He _did_ seem a little socially awkward, if that was the term. He clearly did not know what to say, and with each ungainly attempt at conversation, Egil found his trepidation lessening.

Yes, he could still feel dark magic from Rin, and yes, it was definitely of a kind he had never felt before, but something made him less and less concerned that Rin would tear open the barrier to Gehenna. _It does leave the question then, of what exactly happened the last time the 'gate of Gehenna' was opened. I doubt he would answer if I asked._

"We are twins. Elise is older by a few minutes, but…" how old were they in human years? If he said six-hundred years, Rin would either not believe them or realize just who they were. That would never do, and Egil often praised himself for his quick thinking; "We're sixteen, though people sometimes think we're older."

"It's the hair." Elise muttered from Egil's right.

Somehow, her answer seemed to cause Rin to lose his step. Egil watched the boy regain his cool – according to an Anglian… _English_ dictionary, that meant recover from a flawed action or utterance – and run fingers through his black hair. It was funny, how it was a starker contrast to Rin's own skin than Egil had thought possible. And Rin wasn't even that pale, unlike them.

"R-right, yeah I guess it's just sort of an unusual color…at least in Japan I think it is." Rin mumbled, clearly uncertain of what to say. _He doesn't strike me as the type of person capable of neither opening nor destroying any gates between here and 'Gehenna'…_ "H-hey, do they allow dogs in here?"

Following Rin's eyes, for he had simply stopped to stare, Egil found himself looking at the same kind of dog Mephisto had turned into. No, he realized, it was the _same_ dog. The jewelry and ribbons gave away the man behind it, and the eyes held the same intelligent, weary gaze.

"Oh…it's the _hundr_ again…" Elise sighed, nonetheless kneeling down to scratch its ears. Egil stopped breathing at that, trying to understand what he was seeing. After a few seconds, Elise seemed to realize what she was doing too, and quickly stood, pale skin turning crimson.

"Elise?" Egil started, reaching out for his sister. She looked as if every ounce of blood in her body was now in her head, and he worried she might collapse. Or burst. They weren't immortal in Midgard, after all.

"Y-you didn't s-s-see that!"

"What's wrong? It's just a little dog."

"Y-yes it is, yes it is- now let's go somewhere else." Elise demanded, already pushing Rin the other way. Egil was still too stunned to realize that the _hundr_ was currently biting the bottom of his uniform's leg; "Egil. Come on!"

"Fenris…" he muttered, waiting for Mephisto to let go; "What is it?"

Instead of a response, the transformed Mephisto let go of his leg and scuttled a few meters down the hallway, then turned and seemed to be waiting at one of the doors. _I know, I know…'do what the tutors say'…By all the gods, did Father mean to follow them around when shapeshifted into dogs?_

"I trust you still have the key?" this time, he was less shocked when Mephisto's voice came from the mouth of a dog. Still, it felt as if such a thing should be kept a secret, not declared to the hallway. Then again, looking around Egil realized that his sister and Rin were the closest ones there. All other students seemed to have vacated the corridor. _That was…lucky. If Rin finds out the dog is Mephisto, however, Elise might die from shame…_

"Yes? But, I'm not…" he did, and picked the key from a pocket in his uniform. While constricting, the clothes did have far more storage-space than his robes, mainly in the effect of having pockets at all.

"I thought I told you, it's a key for the entire school, but I did not mention the specifics. It gives you direct access to the Exorcist Cram School, no matter which door you use it on." Mephisto nudged the locked door with a tiny paw, while Elise seemed to have lost to Rin's curiosity and was now reluctantly edging closer. Dogs this small were unnatural; "Use it on this door."

"Really?" Rin was clearly agitated, no doubt because magic had to be involved. Egil inserted the key and turned it in the lock. A resounding _clack_ was his reward, and the door slid open, revealing beyond it a very different hallway than the one they stood in; "Damn…"

"Ah, mister Okumura. I didn't have a chance to give you your key earlier." As the dog spoke, much to the distress of Elise, a key popped into existence between its teeth. With some hesitation, Rin took it from Mephisto's mouth, leaving Egil with a distinctly odd impression of the older non-human. _I really need to find out just what he is._ "Now, if you will all step inside, your class is about to begin. For today, I'll be sitting in."

"Wait, so…Exorcists can transform?"

"Humans can't do magic, so no." Elise said. Egil didn't understand why she felt compelled to constantly give off hints, but…then again, what she had said was likely common knowledge here, so maybe it wouldn't mean discovery. _I can already tell this secrecy is going to shave centuries off my existence…_

"Points to the fair maiden." Mephisto said, shuffling forward on his short legs; "But I'm a special case, so there."

Egil allowed the dog to enter first – _hundr_ or not, Mephisto was the leader of the place – and entered last, closing the great door behind him. Where the hallway they had left had been open, bright and clear, this one now seemed far darker, heavier and more closed in. The walls were dark spaces between windows of tinted, colored glass, and tall doors stood with wide distances between them, each most likely leading to its own study. _There is definitely magic at work here, but all I sense is foreign. Nothing about the energies are familiar, not even their workings._

"Now, you first-years have class is in room One-thousand, one-hundred and six." Even as he spoke, Mephisto made his way down the corridor, forcing the trio of non-humans to follow. Egil once more found himself in the middle, with little idea as to why.

"So many rooms?" Elise groaned, muttering under her breath; "I thought _Bilskirner_ was packed…"

"Well, we do have quite a lot of space." Mephisto agreed, stopping by a door. Egil was glad to see that he could still read the numbers used by humans, despite having never actually seen them beyond a book; "Though students are…less plentiful. Rin, if you would open the door?"

"Huh? O-oh, right."

Inside, the room dedicated to being their class and study was…less than impressive.


	4. Demons?

**Demons?**

* * *

Egil was less than certain as for what he was supposed to think about his new "class".

First of all, it was less than impressive in that it seemed like renovation had never been high on the list of things needing to be done, and that pieces of paper, boards and old posters hang haphazardly around the room, giving off an air of neglect and unimportance.

The tables, or desks as they were called, were worn down and scratched without exception, and the floor creaked with every step he had taken as they walked to their seats. The chairs seemed similar to what he had seen in use the last time he had been in Midgard, though he hoped they were not _the same_ as that time. Humans were not known for building to last, such as the gods had been, back when Asgard had been constructed. Bifrost still stood, as did Valhalla, and both were older than anything Egil had yet seen built by human hand.

As for the students themselves, there were not even ten. Coming to this place, Egil had expected to find it brimming with prospecting students preparing to join the ranks of the Exorcists. Instead, he found two snickering girls, a trio of adolescent boys with not a scrap of normal hair, a student he could not make out for a boy nor a girl, and a child talking to his stuffed animal.

Then there was Rin, of course.

Egil followed the half-human with his eyes as they found their seats, aware that Rin had deliberately chosen a table unoccupied by anyone else. Each seated two, leaving little doubt as to how he and Elise would seat themselves. Now, he simply kept an eye on the black-haired boy, trying to decide whether or not Rin really was a threat.

True, the dark magic still seeped from him, casting lighting on the inside of Egil's eyelids with every blink he took, yet no one else seemed to notice. If anything, no one seemed to even _care_ about their presence, and all eyes had turned away after mere seconds of observation. _At least they're not watching_ us _. I was worried our hair might garner attention, but between pink and purple colors, Elise and I are really quite normal._

It was still odd to see how Mephisto followed Rin in his _hundr_ form, and no one seemed to even batter an eyelid at the sight. However, Egil was content with the shapeshifter focusing on Rin, not himself or Elise. For now, though, there seemed to be an air of expectancy in the room, likely because the first of their trainers or tutors had yet to arrive.

When the door's opening signaled this, Egil turned his attention from his classmates to the entrance, expecting to find an old, grizzled warrior with evidence of long experience against demons. When he had been trained with Bani, it had been Huskarls of Rolf Krake, those who had died the strawdeath, whom had taught him. There had been few, for most had died with the king.

Instead of a scarred warrior, Egil found the newcomer to be the very same youth he had realized to be the second son of Satan, Okumura Yukio, who entered with decisive steps and a set expression. Wearing the same black uniform as those of older ages Egil had seen around, the youth – the _boy_ – wore as well a belt of equipment unlike any either child of Hela had seen before. It looked most of all like what a tanner would carry around, yet most seemed to be glass, or very small objects.

"Take your seats everyone." Dormant magic in his blood caused the words to shift and change, distorting them when they reached his ears. He might not be able to speak it, but at least he could _understand_ it.

And yet, Egil's surprise was insignificant compared to the shock he noticed on Rin's expression. The sword-bearer seemed ready to choke when he realized his brother was the instructor, meaning he hadn't known. _They keep secrets like this from each other?...Interesting._

"The lesson is about to begin."

And still, despite his youth, there was a sense of confidence in the way Yukio stood when he stopped behind his own desk. With both palms on its surface, he seemed to genuinely smile at the room, though Egil noticed his eyes were on the wall behind them, not on anyone specific. _Still, he_ is _inexperienced._

"It is a pleasure to meet you all, I will be your teacher in anti-demon pharmacology, Okumura Yukio." Egil found himself narrowing his eyes, though he nodded in affirmation. The half-demon – for being the brother of Rin _must_ mean Yukio was the same – seemed calm and levelheaded in his words, just as he had been when reading from the scroll in the atrium.

And naturally, just as Elise was his opposite in so many ways, Rin proved to be everything but in possession of his brother's calm.

"YUKIO! _Is that_ **you** _?!_ " and with the way he exclaimed it, Egil didn't fault Elise for snickering behind her palm, though he himself managed to just let a thin smile show. Yukio, on the other hand, looked as if Rin had asked politely, not screamed for all the room to hear.

"Yes, that would be me… Is something the matter?" upon answering his brother's words, Egil noticed something darks spread out from the "normal" brother. It was nowhere near the same intensity as Rin's aura, but it still caught the siblings' attention. Egil noticed his sister growing still as well, meaning it had not passed her by.

Rin then demanding an explanation, leading to his brother explaining himself with the same, unmovable calm, only further made Egil feel like the brother, despite his completely human appearance, shared some of Rin's powers. Latent, maybe, but they were there.

"As I am sure you can see, I am the same age as all of you." when he spoke, for some reason Egil felt as if the eyes behind those glasses focused on him and Elise. As if, he _knew_ something. Yet, there was only a smile to be seen; "This will be my first year lecturing. However, unlike you I have already studied the art of Exorcism for two years. As such, in the context of your Exorcism studies, I would like you to call me 'Sensei'"

Egil wasn't exactly certain what that meant, but as he assumed it was an honorific, he simply nodded to show his silent consent. Regardless of youth, age, skill or powers, he and Elise were here to study _and_ keep an eye on Satan's sons. Staying in the class, without drawing unwanted attention, was the best way he could see of doing just that. And for that reason, he ignored whatever his sister had just mumbled, and kept his attention on Yukio.

"Now then, how many of you have never sustained a 'Mashou'?" that did not mean he would remain silent if subjects were unexplained when they were brought up. He knew from his former tutors that when the student wished to speak or request, he needed to bring up a hand; "Yes, and you are?"

"Egil Baldersson, _Sænsei_." He took great effort to pronounce the name in the same way as it had been spoken. He likely did not do well, but disregarded that; "I have not heard the term 'Masho' before. What does it mean?"

"A 'Mash _u_ o', is the term describing a wound or injury sustained by a demon, thus allowing you to see them." Yukio explained, pushing his spectacles further onto his nose; "For those who have not yet sustained one such wound, seeing a demon is impossible. You cannot become an Exorcist without this step in your training, which is what we will be covering in this lesson. Now, as you may have noticed, this classroom is not in a state where you'd assume it in use. That's because it's actually a nest for a type or low-level demon known as 'goblins'. Can anyone tell me what a goblin is?"

One of the two girls stood. When she did, Egil couldn't help but muse over how odd her eyebrows looked. It was as if they were thicker than what should have been possible, and the result was her face holding an expression much that like of a frustrated rabbit.

"Goblins are demons who often live and travel in packs. They prefer avoiding humans entirely, but the smell of blood, especially rotten animal's blood, will draw them out and often cause them to fall into a frenzy. Their sizes change with assumed age and hierarchy, and they have been documented from the size of dogs to the size of an elephant."

"Very good, Kamiki." Yukio nodded as he held up a vial. It was only now that Egil noticed the foul, yet familiar smell of rotten blood, and he knew instantly what was in the vial; "Today I am going to use a mixture of blood diluted with cow's milk, which the goblins as a rule are quite fond of. I will dilute the blood in ten parts milk, and use one drop to draw out the goblins."

"I can't wait." Elise whispered to her brother, not that Egil was in the least surprised. She had always liked animals and beasts more than people, and for all they knew, demons were no different than Garmr, Nidhogg or Jormungand. Hopefully smaller than the last two, of course; "I'm going to see _demons_."

" _The hell is she so excited about_?" Egil, while this was only due to his heritage, had a sense of hearing far keener than what humans would expect. As such, he did not miss the words spoken by the youth wearing stripes down his hair. Still, he pretended not to, as Elise would no doubt deal with the boy should he actually offend her.

Somehow, while Egil had been listening to the students behind them, Yukio had started preparing the lesson, only for Rin to interrupt. What unnerved the son of Balder was that Rin had moved without him noticing anything, and it was only now when the two brothers were arguing that he realized what was going on. _And I have a_ sharp _hearing? I don't even want to know what Rin could do then if he really_ tried _sneaking past me._

And the brothers seemed to have forgotten the class. Instead, Yukio was now speaking to Rin in a tone which could only be described as a warning, and low enough that it clearly was not meant for others to hear.

"… _as I received a Mashuo from you on the day I was born…I have been able to see demons for as long as I remember."_ Egil could not decide if their instructor's tone was regretful or silent anger. He glanced around, seeing none but his sister actually reacting to the words. The others seemed mostly annoyed with Rin's outburst.

Yukio had been wounded by a demon on the day he was born. He and Rin were twins, meaning they had been born on the same date. Did this mean _Rin_ had been the one to injure his brother? If so, did that not mean Rin was more demon than human, to be able to actually _inflict_ such wounds?

"… _I knew all along…"_

If that was the case, judging Rin from his eyes alone had clearly been a mistake.

"… _it was only you who did not…"_

"WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL ME ANYTHING?!" Rin shouted, slamming his hand onto the table while grabbing his brother by the arm. Already before Yukio's hand opened in surprise, Egil could foresee the events that would now transpire.

He watched as if in slowed time as the vial of rotten blood, the blood of which a single diluted drop had been deemed sufficient, fell towards the floor. Even then, Rin only seemed to slowly realize what he had done, while Yukio's face drained of color.

Egil's face contorted when the stench assaulted his nostrils. While he dead were abundant in Helheim, they did not bleed this disgusting a smell. Elise, likewise, seemed offended by the smell, and held her nose.

"God, what a stench!"

"What the Hell _is_ that smell?"

Egil, meanwhile, was distracted when the ceiling above exploded downwards, showering an empty desk with pieces of wood and a lamp. One hand on Bani's handle inside his uniform, he glanced between the newly opened hole in the ceiling, and the table where most of the debris had hit.

A silhouette, barely more, seemed to dance on the table. It was no larger than a dog, and shaped more like a boulder than anything else. But he couldn't see _what_ it was. Though, judging from the way the purple-haired girl pointed and yelled, _she_ could.

"Oh Fenrir, _look_ at them!" Elise exclaimed, sounding more as if she was thrilled than upset. She was sole in that reaction, as most others in the room seemed frightened or prepared for a fight. Egil turned a look at his sister, trying to understand why it made no sense whatsoever that she could see them. There'd never been demons in Helheim, and she certainly had not been attacked while here, so why could she see them?

Explosions deafened his thoughts, coming much too close to his ears for comfort. Snapping his neck around, Egil saw Yukio repeatedly firing what he recognized as firearms into the air. Each bullet audibly hit _something_ , yet no trace was left behind of whatever that something was. _This might just be more dangerous-_

"EVERYBODY, OUT OF THE CLASSROOM!"

Being yelled at was a new experience for Egil, and Elise too. Neither Mother nor Father had ever felt the need, and now when a human was ordering them out with a frantic shout, complying was not first on his mind. _We won't get the injuries if we leave, but Elise should, seeing as she can somehow already see the blasted things._

"How come we're leaving if the whole point of this was for us to be wounded?" he demanded, though keeping his tone respectful, as they vacated the room. Egil was not blind to the way the first silhouette had given off its own, weak feeling of magic. He knew they were of the same foreign kind as Rin, which just cemented the danger that boy posed.

"They're weak, but many in number, and they've been driven into a frightful rage." Yukio sighed as he was last out the door. No. wait, he wasn't. Rin was still inside, Egil realized with a start; "I must apologize, this was my mistake. I am very sorry, but if you could all just wait out here whilst I eliminate the demons."

Rin, at this point, had still not entered the hallway with the rest of them, and Egil's hand never left Bani's shaft underneath his uniform. Compacted, the magical hammer took up very little space, making it concealable with some ease.

"You too, Okumura-ku-" Yukio turned to his brother, yet whatever response he was given was cut short by the door slamming shut. Both brothers were yet inside, and Egil stepped forward to grab the door, only to find it locked. _Njord's ballsack! What now?_

"Why did _he_ stay inside?" the youth with striped hair grumbled, crossing his arms as he glared at the door; "If this is how he's acting on the first day, I don't want to know how the rest of the term's going to be."

"Bon, chill. He _was_ the one disrupting class, so he'll probably be forced to help clean it up." The pink-haired youth suggested. It was curious how his attitude was so utterly opposed to that of 'Bon's, yet they seemed to be friends. Egil chose to ignore them both, in favor of turning to Elsie, whom was looking at the door with more concern than anything else.

"You could see them?" he asked of her, straining his ears to listen through the door. Gunfire was all they could hear, repeatedly as if there was no end to the young man's ammunition. Egil would be the first to admit to having a very limited knowledge on such weapons, having never even _held_ one, much less used it, but he had already lost count of shots somewhere above the forty.

"You couldn't?" she shot him a curious, somewhat saddened glance.

"No. I could feel them, a little, but saw nothing." He admitted, scrounging up is expression in thought. Had a demon maybe injured Elise the last time they had been in Midgard, and she just had never chosen to mention it? "What did they look like?"

"Like nothing I've ever seen before." She sighed, placing a hand on the door as if to open it, yet did nothing beyond that; "Round and plumb, with wings like a bat and a tail unlike any other. Its face was like that of a bat's, yet it was covered in colors and…and it's probably dead now…"

"…I suppose it might be, yes." He nodded, understanding better than any other likely would, how his sister felt when beasts suffered from human mistakes. She never changed that attitude, not even here. In a way, he was relieved for that; "How come you could see them while I could not?"

When she did not reply to his question, he decided it was better asked in another place, with less people around to hear. Now then, in the silence following his own question, Egil realized that the gunfire from inside the classroom had also ceased. Straining his ears against the door, he did what he could to listen through it without actually making a move towards it.

"… _You…were the one who killed father…"_

The words were said by one of the brothers, yet Egil had no idea as to which. Instead of asking Elise for her thoughts, he continued to listen tuning out the nervous banter shared amongst the others. If one brother had killed their father, did that mean 'Satan' was dead? But if so, a lot of other things did not make sense in the least.

Listening in, while likely improper amongst humans, was his best bet at finding out more.

"… _I…I'm an idiot, and I don't deny it, so say whatever the Hell you want, but…let me say_ one _thing…"_ the pause in the one brother's words momentarily made Egil worry he would miss an important point, but when the tone rose to a shout, he dismissed the fright, though the words themselves bothered him; " _…don't you EVER point a goddamned gun at your brother! WE'RE FAMILIY DAMMIT!"_

A massive flare of dark magic permeated the room, nearly staggering Egil where he stood. Such power, it was almost impossible to imagine it all to have come from just one person, yet closing his eyes, he could clearly see the outline of a single person on the inside of his eyelids. _So…much power. Mother and Father were right, the Son of Satan truly is dangerous!_

"…did anyone else hear someone shouting?" Bon asked, looking around. Egil groaned, glancing at Elise who seemed less disturbed at the words, though more at the outburst of magic.

Yet, she also seemed steadfastly more concerned that lives had been lost today. The lives of 'demons' to others, but lives all the same to her. When the more muscular youth's glance came near Elise, she shot him a harsh glare, after which he looked back to the other boys; "Do you think they're done in there?"

"Dunno…Don't really feel like opening the door, though."

" _SHOOT ME!"_

Straining his ears were not even needed for hearing those words, and only Elise grabbing his arm halted Egil from breaking in the door. The others clearly heard the raised voices as well, but for whatever reasons they might have, none seemed intent on interfering or even discovering its source. Hopefully, they had not heard the _words_.

And then, as sudden as the flare of dark magic had sprouted, it died down. Closing his eyes, Egil could see the aura of iridescent blue changing from a raging bonfire, to what could be held in a lantern, and allowed himself to breathe. Whatever had happened in there, it seemed to have died down, without either brother losing his life, as he could still feel Yukio's aura, weak though it was.

After that, Egil contented himself with no further listening. Even to him, it felt as if now what was said in that room would be between brothers, and not of his business.

He had heard enough already that a new plan of action was starting to take form in his mind.

"S-sensei, are you okay in there?" Izumi, the girl of purple hair, called as she knocked on the door. True, with the fighting having ended in there, yet no call having been made for them to come in, it was a valid concern that the brothers had died, or were at the least unconscious.

"Yes, we're fine… _though I can't say the same for the classroom…_ " whether or not the last part was meant for them all or just the brothers, Egil couldn't tell. Looking at the other students, it was clear they were eager and anxious both to return to the room. He himself was more curious than was probably healthy, wanting to see the effects such magic had had on the class.

" _I- I just…have to learn to control it, okay?!"_

" _Nii-san. If you truly aim to become an Exorcist, then the words I said will always haunt you. 'Just die, please' I will not be the last one to tell you that, or indeed to think it."_ Yukio's words were clearly meant for Rin alone, yet Egil found himself once more entranced in the supposedly private conversation. He had missed when the brother had said 'just die' earlier, it seemed, and now was left with more questions than before. Why would one brother tell the other to die? _"'I think you need to be prepared for that fact."_

The door opening would have sent Egil startled back, had he not heard the handle turn and unlock. Closing his eyes to sense magical auras meant he was blind to all else. Yet when Yukio first emerged from the room, he endeavored to maintain a mask of simple curiosity. _I heard nothing, Son of Satan._

"Are the two of you unharmed?" he asked, looking over Yukio's shoulder to where Rin was coming out as well. Both brothers were sweating hard, though Rin seemed far the more disturbed.

"Yes, yes, we're both fine. Really, it was just a mere complication, though…" Yukio paused, yet kept his face set in a pleasant smile; "I think we should move the class to another room."

Despite attempts at making him speak, Yukio did not reveal a word of what had taken place behind the locked door. Not until they reached the new classroom, and Elise refused to sit when the others, Egil included, did so.

"What happened with the goblins?" his sister's question drew odd looks, though her eyes were set only on Yukio. When he seemingly realized the concern in her voice was just as much for the demons as for Yukio and Rin themselves, the instructor blinked in mild surprise. When he didn't immediately respond, she turned her eyes to Rin instead, who looked far less composed than his brother; "There was a lot of gunfire inside, wasn't there?"

"We dealt with them as the situation demanded." Yukio replied, pushing his glasses an inch further up his nose; "Helasdottir, is there a problem?"

"…you mean, you killed them?" her voice was low, though anything but menacing. Instead, it was the voice of silent despair. Killing creatures lured into view was against everything she held to, and Egil shared many of those same views. He hadn't even been able to _see_ the goblins, but knew his sister had.

Yukio, seated behind his own desk, folded his hands and rested his chin upon them, then looked over the class at large.

"I wonder; would anyone in here like to tell me why they chose to become an Exorcist? Certainly, it was neither for the pay nor the safety…Maybe you, Shima?"

"Ah, uh…I…" Shima, the pink-haired youth, stuttered and scratched at his hair. Clearly, he had not expected to be asked, though something like a childish, goofy smile slowly seemed to creep over his features; "You see, I joined because…ah, because I wanna be like my brother. He died in the Blue Night, but he still really got to be a hero, sort of, so…ah, I think I…that, that's why."

"A noble goal, no doubt." Yukio nodded, then turned to face the still standing Elise; "Elise, as I understand it Exorcists are quite rare where you were born. Did you know what Exorcists do when you applied for the academy?"

"Exorcists protect the innocent and drive out the demons plaguing them." She replied in a steady, albeit low tone; "But the goblins in the classroom had been lured there by you. They were bothering no one before our lesson, were they?"

"If I might ask, Elise, why did you apply for this place?" Yukio asked instead, letting the light fall on his glasses in such an angle that seeing his eyes was difficult. Egil frowned with worry, looking at his sister. Whatever she now answered, it could spell doom for their task; "What made you want to become an Exorcist?"

"Because Satan threatened our home, and so the only way to protect our family, me and my brother's, was to come here." She replied, averting her eyes from the half-demon. Egil breathed a sigh of relief, realizing his sister had told the truth, yet in a way that no one would think them on any kind of mission; "And I will personally destroy anything or anyone threatening my home."

Then again, it wouldn't have been Elise without brash threats ending her words.

"…And to do such, being able to see demons is a necessary first step." Yukio nodded, glancing at his brother with such briefness that Egil might have missed it had he been human; "I agree, that what happened in the classroom was not the desired result. No one received a Mashuo, and lives _were_ lost, as you point out. For what it is worth, I _am_ sorry for the way we went about it."

Elise hesitated on her feet, looking at the boy as if to discern whether he was lying. Meanwhile, Egil was watching for her hair, where tiny strands were dancing upright with frustration. Finally they fell, and he released the air he had not realized he held as she took her seat beside him. _Thank Fenris, if she had lost herself and killed him…_

* * *

Hours later, as the sun was setting, the siblings found themselves in what was going to become their home for the next many months.

Compared to Helheim, it was tiny. Then again, the entire academy was tiny in comparison to their own home, so it served no purpose to even put them together. For a human, one who had never set foot in Hel however, the place was large and comfortably spacey.

According to Mephisto, who had shown them the way to the dormitory, the building was an older construction than the rest of the academy's dorms, but a request had been made for them to be situated there, which was why the siblings now stepped over the threshold to their room. It was mostly wooden surfaces, a large room where a bed made up an alcove to both sides, while separate chairs and desks were lined at the windows, one for each occupant.

"This is…quaint." Egil mused, walking inside with what personal effects he had brought from home strapped to his back. The sack Mephisto had given them each had only contained clothed and the key, while their own belongings had been transported to the room ahead of them.

"It's small, that is what it is." Elise sighed, bypassing Egil with her pack as he was unpacking his. Each item, knives, runic scriptures, tools of various sorts and clothing was all sorted into separate containers and chests. Elise was tired, and worn down mentally from the ordeal with the goblins, that much he knew, which was also why he did not bother with a comment when she threw herself and her pack on the bed she claimed for herself; "Surt's ass, I didn't think…"

"No, that does seem to be a consistent trait." Egil mused, grinning just a little as Elise threw one of her shoes at him.

"…shut up." She groaned with little mirth, rolling over so as to face into the mattress; "I can't believe they just _killed_ demons like that."

"It is what Exorcists do, I fear."

"But at least they shouldn't be luring them out like that!" she insisted, still with her face pressed into the bed. Gesticulating hands were the only ways she had of expressing her emotions now, it seemed; "What if they do the same to Garmr, or Nidhogg when-"

" _If_ "

" _If_ I get to summon either one."

"Do you really think humans, no matter their weapons, could bring down Nidhogg, Gnawer of the World Tree?" looking up from one of the drawers, Egil shook his head at Elise's behavior. Not that he minded, truly, for it was a welcome reminder of how some things inevitably stayed the same.

"… _Nooo_ , but it would screw us over majorly if they _did_ attack him."

"Because he would devour them all and raze the academy to the ground?" he suggested with a creasing upper lip. The mental image _would_ suit the great beast perfectly, he admitted, however it would only be truly complete with Elise mounted atop, directing the wyrm.

"Mainly thát, and then the fact that I'm starting to think Rin isn't the brother we should be cautious about." She muttered, rolling about again so as to face her brother. Egil watched as she sat, grabbing a hold of her skirt before muttering old spells. The material turned as white as her hair, and long enough to reach her knees; "There. But, did you notice how Yukio seemed to _look_ at us at the start of the lesson? Like, like he _knew_ something?"

"I did notice, yes…" Egil sighed and rubbed his brow; "However, as long as neither of us give away anything incriminating, he would not have a reason to truly suspect…That does leave us with Rin, and what we heard through the door."

"Yukio said Rin killed their father, but I don't think they meant Satan…"

"Nor do I, yet whom else could it be? I couldn't hear any names over the explosions." Egil slumped down on his own bed, staring at the ceiling. It looked remarkably like the floor, only cleaner.

"Maybe Mother or Father know?" Elise suggested, dangling her legs from the edge of her bed; "Or, we could ask Rin ourselves?"

"…Might be we should stick with Mother and Father." Her brother argued weakly, hoping she hadn't been serious about the last part. Revealing too much of an interest in the brothers would not be a good thing; "Regardless, we should eat first."

"Right." Elise nodded, picking from her pack one of the runic texts. It was old skin, yet still as flexible as the day it had been made, and the runes upon it just as clear. Lowering their voices, the siblings in unison started reading aloud from the scripts, letting magic seep into the air with each spoken word. When finished, both closed the texts simultaneously, and between them appeared a decked table of smoked fish rolled in flour, cooked ham, milk and full bread; "I'm actually pretty damn hungry…"

Taking the chairs from the desks, each sat and dug into the meal. In truth, there was more than both could eat, but Hela, despite being the queen of Helheim, was still as much a mother as any human woman. As such, she had too much food prepared for them to eat.

But neither ever wanted to tell her, for this was one of the few times Hela could support her children in something they themselves could not do. Egil himself, because whenever he attempted such, the materials consumed themselves in fire, and Elise because she simply did not care to try.

And as they dined, the siblings each pondered on the day's events. Elise likely tried to understand once again why the goblins had been slaughtered – Yukio had mentioned blood making them hostile, yet they were still low in power – and what the brothers had meant with Rin killing their father.

Egil, on account of the latter, was trying to form a picture of what the brothers were truly like. Initially, he had believed Rin the dangerous one because of his sword and slightly inhuman traits, yet now, there was something about Yukio he found disconcerting, yet he was unsure just what.

But while Yukio remained an enigma, might be that Rin – while he was certainly half a demon, and powerful – was far more human than either sibling had thought?

* * *

 **Okay, so after a whole darn year, I'm back in Denmark. My home country is as wet, cold and grey as I remember our summers to be, which in a way I suppose is nostalgic…or something.**

 **Egil and Elise just finished what the manga has as Chapter 2: Brothers, leading to me suspecting that my standard is going to be something like two of my chapters for each in the manga. Manga did have it easier though, with how they could fill most of the spaces with either dialogue or pictures, making descriptions unnecessary. I do love my descriptions though, so when called for they'll be needed – ie, neither the classroom nor the dorm will be described again in great detail because they have been done so with once – but aside from that I'll try to make action a heavier part of this.**

 **Some of you – wont' say 'many' because I don't have that many readers – might have expected me to make either Elise or Egil interrupt the scene with the goblins, but I decided against it because when trying to blend in, the last thing you really want to do is to partake in a fight you have no place partaking in. Fighting for fighting's sake.**

 **I will be trying to keep this "original" though, but I want to see this thing through as much as the next guy, so we'll stick to the main plot. Gotta say though, the manga held some surprises for me. _Damn you Illuminati!_**

 **That said, I feed on thoughts, hopes and dreams, and without those I do not have the fuel for my work. So fuel this story, and fire it up. The more fuel, the faster updates, eh?**


	5. Who watches the Watchers?

**A/N: Heyo, whomsoever enjoys my work.**

 **I don't want to call it a "shout out" – that's kind of something you need audio to do, I think – but I still _would_ like to express my gratitude to SuperiorDimwit for sticking with my story, and being one of the most awesome readers I have ever had. Mate, your reviews grant me mental stability and insight into lore in ways I hadn't started to consider before doing this. Knowing you enjoy what I am doing, is one of the reasons I keep doing it.**

 **Peace, and let's wish everyone could just stop killing each other and instead read a good book.**

* * *

 **Who watches the Watchers?**

* * *

Following that first day, Egil spent most of his spare time attempting to close what gaps were between him and the other students, mainly in the terms of knowledge. Feeling no immediate need for friendship with neither the boys nor the girls, he found few distractions keeping him from learning.

Yukio, despite what warnings his aura and persona triggered, was in this at least most helpful. He was more than willing to provide Egil with books – though he found some of them were directed at children in their respective areas – as well as offered him extra assignments to better catch up.

Yet now, trailing the hallways of the dormitory, Egil found himself partaking in what had become his and Elise's true assignment at the Academy. Disguised in the skin of a sparrow, the siblings fluttered from nook to nook, keeping a close eye on the Sons of Satan. Both were out and about, yet dressed for work. Rin, in particular, was carrying the sword on his back, while Yukio visibly wore his firearms on his hips. _So…where to?_

When the brothers stopped before a door, in itself not a strange act, the siblings took up positions on one of the wooden beams in the ceiling, hanging upside-down by their talons. Shapeshifting might be possible for people like Mephisto, whatever he truly was, but even the magic of Helheim had its boundaries. Animal-sarks, on the other hand, was a perfectly valid, proven method of traveling and staying undetected.

"Where do you think they're going?" Elise chirped, keeping her words low. Although they spoke in Nordic, a tongue incomprehensible for anyone else on the academy, they still needed to remain hidden, as no doubt humans could still hear the difference between bird-chirping and human speech. Silence was the best way to do so, but they needed to speak, else little could be done; "I've been through that door, it leads to one of the equipment-storerooms."

"Well…maybe they need a new broom?" Egil mused, bopping his head as he spoke. His nose always seemed to start itching whenever he put on the sark, and he could do nothing to relieve it now. It was apparently hilarious to Elise, who never suffered from complications with their disguise. Then again, _she_ had been the one to bring the sarks, without him even knowing it.

"… _I knew I could count on you!"_

In some ways, he supposed, she really did know how to prepare herself.

" _This is the Supplier's key…One of the keys that only qualified Exorcists are allowed to possess."_

"I don't think so…Look, Yukio's doing something." Elise whispered, letting go with one foot to point her talons at the brothers. Yukio, true to her words, had selected a key from the bundle he wielded, and now inserted it into the door. However, instead of the expected sight beyond, what was revealed turned out to be a vast expanse, and it took a gust of warm air blowing in through the door for Egil to realize just what it was.

The outside.

Beyond the door that should have led to a simple, meager storage-room, now spread out the vast emptiness of open air. Just past the opening, a long, sky-scraping bridge of stone was suspended, bridging the gap between the main building, and a single, mansion-like building at the end. Following the brothers, Egil and Elise pulled themselves through the air, making it through the door moments before it closed shut behind them. _If what Yukio said, and only certain individuals possess that key, we would not know which way to fly, even should we approach from the outside to begin with!_

As such, this was the only way they had been able to plan for, and now there was no choice but to stick with the plan. Already, the winds outside buffeted their diminished bodies, forcing especially Egil to struggle, as he had the least experience with using animal forms. Elise, true to whom she was, experienced far less difficulties.

"Come on, we can keep an eye on them from higher up." She grinned through her words, flying in circles higher and higher. Egil, to his credit and defense, managed to keep up with her, though only with great effort. _Why do I suspect she has been using that sark so many more times than what I already thought?_

"We still need to be close enough to hear what they're saying." He reminded her, though he doubted she actually listened. Still, _he_ would do his best to do so, and soared lower, keeping his distance to the brothers, yet still close enough that he could hear their words. When he perched on one of the bridge's struts, he then simply waited for the brothers to pass by, posing as the innocently curious bird he looked.

"That key's like a portal or something, huh?" Rin seemed far the more exited, jogging to catch up to his brother, whom for reasons Egil was unsure of, wore the same dark uniform he had in class. Rin simply ran around in what the son of Balder assumed to be his way of wearing the academy uniform, yet far more relaxed.

"This academy is an important base for us Exorcists, yes, for the True Cross Order _."_ Yukio did not even turn to look when he spoke to his brother. Instead his eyes seemed to trail to where Egil sat, yet no signs emerged that his disguise had been seen through, and the brother finally turned back to Rin; "As such, thanks to Sir Pheles' power, it is protected against the more powerful demons by a combination of protective charms, barriers, labyrinths and the like."

That was useful knowledge, if nothing else. Egil followed the brothers from the air as they continued, keeping his distance as before. Why he and Elise had not been told of the barriers, he didn't know, but he could only assume it was restricted to those of higher ranks within the academy.

Or maybe it was assumed common knowledge.

" _Keys like this allow us to travel around the academy without running into these traps."_ Yukio continued, taking long strides as if he was in a hurry to cross. If so, maybe this was more than just going out? Egil was still not fully aware of everything Exorcists did, but he knew their job consisted of "Exorcising" demons. Was that why Yukio and Rin were now going to the mansion across the bridge? _Then, maybe I shouldn't have brought Elise. She won't like seeing more demons perish…and I won't even be able to_ see _the blasted things until I either receive a 'Mashou', or Mother conjures up magic for it._

"Huh, I'm not really sure I get it, but I guess that clown really isn't just your average clown, huh…" Rin mused, almost causing Egil to reveal himself as a laugh built up in his throat. For the Son of Satan to label Mephisto a 'clown', was either ironic or somewhat disturbing, yet hilarious all the same.

When the brothers reached the mansion, Yukio promptly told Rin to stay where he was. Egil decided to grasp this opportunity for what it was, and took to the skies where Elise was still fluttering about, chirping in her best impression of a sparrow. It was horrible, yet likely better than anything _he_ could do.

"Elise, Yukio left Rin outside." He said when he was close enough, not wanting to risk Rin possessing a sharp enough sense of hearing to pick out their voices from a shout; "I think, from what Yukio said, that this will merely be a supply-run. Do you want to head back?

"Dunno, far as I can see, Rin's not exactly staying where he is." She noticed, causing him to look back down. Rin, instead of remaining at the foot of the stairs, now seemed to descend another path, one leading to a lush garden at the back of the mansion; "I wanna see what's gonna happen now."

"If you insist." He didn't really see a reason _not_ to, only that it wasn't crucial, from what he could tell. Yukio would pick some supplies up, Rin would wander a garden, and they would head back to the academy. Time could most definitely be better spent than keeping watch over _that_ , but then again, this _was_ why they were here.

"Don't mind if I do, then." There was a definite smirk in her tone, yet a beak couldn't show it off. In the end, he simply allowed her to take the lead, watching as she dove towards the ground.

Down below, Rin had stopped at a gate, where one of the metal-bar doors for some reason seemed to have been kicked in. The half-human hadn't moved for several seconds, leading Egil to suspect he was either examining the garden from a distance, or simply surprised that the gate had been opened in such a way. Had _he_ done it? Why?

Egil's thoughts were interrupted when a shrill scream erupted from down below, and he noticed a human girl in the garden as well, attempting to flee Rin while yelling ' _Demon!'_ with every failed attempt at running she made. Concern gnawed in his chest as he dropped further down, wanting to be close enough to interfere if Rin was really attacking the girl.

"Stay back! Somebod-!" the girl's words ended when she fell once more, planting her headfirst in a bush. From the looks of how she continuously fell, it was starting to become apparent that the girl simply _couldn't_ run away.

"Elise?" she was closer, and could potentially interfere before he could get there. Yet, his sister remained perched on a bush, refraining from answering as she instead simply opted to let things happen. Egil did not like her plan, but as she was the elder, he chose to let her judgement rule for now. He still landed on the ground, close enough that he could shed the _sark_ and leap at Rin if the half-demon snapped.

"…Hey…" instead, Rin had slowly, if less than composed, walked to where the girl had fallen. He showed no signs of aggressiveness, but instead of concern, and intense uncomfortableness with the situation; "A-are you…okay?"

Egil finally allowed himself to breathe again at that, content that Rin seemed far more concerned for the girl's wellbeing than the risk of her revealing his true nature to the world. This, if Egil wasn't being all too optimistic, could be another sign that Rin was perhaps the Son of Satan, but did not possess an evil personality. He hardly noticed it when Elise landed next to him, paying more attention to the unfolding scene.

"What's wrong with your legs?"

"Oh…" the girl's fear seemed to dissipate at the question, perhaps because it was permeated with raw sympathy and concern, something Egil did not yet know if demons were supposed to be capable of. When neither spoke, he was starting to consider if maybe he should ask Elise for her thoughts, yet was cut short when the girl spoke up, if hesitantly at that; "I…can't walk very well. It's been like this for some time."

"So…" had it not been for the still somewhat lingering trepidation Egil felt at the situation, he would have snickered at Rin's failed attempt at starting a sentence. The half-human was clearly uncertain of what to say. Something else, something that had the son of Balder surprised, was how the dark aura around Rin seemed to…dissipate, if just a little. It wasn't enough to warrant a discussion with Elise, but it was enough for personal contemplation; "…do you need help, then?"

Watching the girl's expression lighten up, Egil wasn't certain if his eyes were playing him a trick, or if Rin's face truly turned slightly red as a reaction. If so, it was just another nod in the slowly solidifying theory that he really wasn't an evil bastard. It would likely remain a theory, however, as everything they saw could be a simple ploy.

Having the trickster-god as his grandfather had taught Egil a thing or two about honesty and the lack thereof, at quite the early age.

"You know, I'm _definitely_ starting to think Rin's not the dangerous one here…" Elise whispered as she hopped down to his place on the ground. She was pretending to be searching for seeds on the ground, and Egil couldn't quite contain the smile behind his disguise at seeing her hop around in what smelled a lot like cow-manure.

"I know…" he nodded, tilting his head slightly to the side as he studied their target; "I will stay here, and you can go ahead and see what his brother's doing?"

"And miss seeing someone more socially awkward than me?" she chirped in what could have been laughter or a scoff. He really couldn't tell; "No way. I'm staying. Besides, we'd feel it from here if Yukio blew up. We could feel Rin easily enough at a distance, remember?"

"…true." He admitted, nodding at her argument; "Still, I-"

"The Hell's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Rin's irritated exclamation cut him off, causing the siblings to snap towards the half-human, ready to leap. Seeing him still holding onto the toppled gate, Egil felt his sister relax, and did so himself. Rin was glaring, but little real mirth seemed behind it; "First you call me a demon, then you make me do your work for you…!"

"Do you sense something between them?" Elise mused with a high-pitched whisper, audibly restraining herself from a giggle. Egil looked first at his sister, then at the two youths, before looking back at her in confusion; "Ah, never mind. You probably wouldn't get it anyway."

"I am well aware what love is, if that is what you refer to, _dear sister_." He muttered the last words with a snark; "I cannot however see how _you_ see that happening here."

As he spoke, Egil watched the youths. Rin in particular as he crouched before the girl, who had seemingly spoken without neither him nor Elise hearing what she had said, and now extended her open hand towards him. Rin, contrary to the surprising happiness in her eyes, was looking at the girl's hand with something akin to fright. Or was it merely disbelief?

"…didn't know that you were a nice person, really…" the girl said, smiling widely at Rin. He, on the other hand, seemed to be stuck in the same pouting expression of disbelief. It was the only way Egil could describe it, yet he somehow knew it to be utterly stupid; "Friends, then?"

"Huh?...Eh, I…" he was stuttering, allthewhile darker colors spread on his pale cheeks. Maybe Elise was right, in that _Rin_ was attracted to the girl, but somehow he just couldn't see _her_ being attracted to him; "I…I guess that's okay…but…"

If there was a single thing Egil had learned from the gargantuan assembly of books and texts the studies had held for him, it was that the girl was never the first one to start anything. Jane Austin in particular had showed him that, while some women could definitely show backbone to the men, it was in the end people like Darcy who fought to win them over… _Why am I thinking of_ that _, now of all times?_

"Really? Thank goodness!" the girl's happy expression had become a beaming smile. Somehow, Egil felt as if he had just borne witness to something of tantamount importance, but for all he tried, he couldn't put his finger on _what_ it was; "My name's Moriyama Shiemi, what's yours?"

"O-okumura Rin…" he replied, as tersely as Shiemi had been chipper. Egil had, by now, realized that people from this part of Midgard said their surnames first. To him, it did not make sense. If he presented himself as 'Baldersson Egil', he would feel like he wasn't sure _who_ he was. Rin, meanwhile, seemed to have realized what also had Elise strangling her own giggling at Egil's side; "…wait, am I shaking a hand covered in _poop_?"

"You know, for a supposedly _evil_ guy, I think Rin's gotta be the biggest dork I've ever met." Elise whispered, sticking her beak in Egil's face. He found himself nodding in agreement, though his attention was being held by Shiemi's retelling of something called the 'Amahara Garden'.

"Nii-San!"

That was, until Yukio emerged from the house. Neither sibling had been alert enough to realize his approach, and now found themselves startled, hopping backwards on the frustratingly tiny legs of the sparrow-sark, while watching the newfound friends realize Yukio's presence, as well as that of a woman who seemed like an older version of Shiemi. Her mother, all logic then dictated.

"Oh dear, what on _Earth_ have you gotten yourself into now? _I can't leave you alone for a_ second _…_ " Rin did not seem downtrodden at his brother's words, however, and simply grinned as Yukio descended the stairs, followed by Shiemi's mother.

When it was then revealed to Shiemi that Rin and Yukio were actually brothers – she seemed quite fond of Yukio, if Egil judged her tone with him right – and Rin's reaction was humorous as well. In a way, the reactions and emotions playing out before the siblings was very much like how _they_ had once acted. So very long ago in human years, yet it felt like just last week for them.

"Shiemi, let the nice man take a look at your legs." When the mother spoke up, it brought back on her the attention of both siblings, and Egil in particular wondered just why Yukio would do that. True, he was supposedly a doctor, a healer of sorts, but so far nothing had indicated him being of special talent, and according to Shiemi herself, multiple doctors and healers had failed to discover the source of her malady.

"So _that's_ why he's in uniform…" Elise whispered as they both took off, landing in one of the nearby trees; "He's going to carry out an Exorcism here, on _her_."

"…But, Shiemi doesn't look like anything but a human?" Egil muttered, shifting on his talons; "Then again, it is likely that Rin's aura is overpowering whatever else might be nearby…What should we do?"

"Remain and watch, I think."

"I- I haven't had anything to do with any-"

"Could I just take a look?" Yukio knelt down before Shiemi, causing her protest to die off from his gentle tone. Egil shared a look with his sister, starting to understand that Shiemi really wasn't the thing Yukio was going to Exorcise, but rather it was something to do with her legs; "If I don't find anything, then there's no problem, is there? So…just for a moment?"

Shiemi grew as red as the flowers she had been tending, though she kept her voice as much in check as likely possible. Egil noticed Elise tensing up, yet was unsure what caused it.

"A- alright."

When Shiemi gave her consent, Yukio – to the annoyance of Rin whom he pointedly ignored – started pulling up the long garments concealing her legs. Egil watched with bated breath as unnatural scars came into view. Shiemi's legs seemed to be covered in pulsating veins, running underneath her skin in patterns much akin to the roots of a tree.

"What do you think _that_ is?" his sister asked, her voice hushed but in awe.

"No idea." He honestly couldn't tell; "I haven't seen something like this before. Let's see what he's going to do."

"…This is a Mashou." When Yukio spoke the words, it somehow sounded like a sentence on the girl. Egil could see her flinch, as if she had been physically stricken by the words. Elise tensed further up, and he started wondering if this was why, because she could somehow sense something about either the girl or something entirely else; "The work of a demon, no doubt about it…"

"I…it can't be…!" Shiemi stammered, her face paling to match the complexity of her hair.

"Then Shiemi is-!" whatever her mother believed Shiemi to be, her words were interrupted when Yukio shook his head. Egil didn't like what was going on, how the air seemed to grow thick with panic.

"No, she is not being possessed." Yukio replied calmly; "This is not the work of a demon powerful enough to possess a human. It will have possessed one of the plants in this garden. Either a Dökkálfr, a Green Man or perhaps an Ent…all are relatively weak demons…But this one seems to be breaching through the ground to Shiemi's legs, parasitically leaching from her heart…The demon is somewhere in this garden."

Fenris. If what Yukio described was how this truly was, then perhaps there really was a reason for the hatred towards demons. As of yet, Egil had no cause to hate them, but if this was how demons worked, then he could understand why others did. Leaching the life-force from an innocent girl was unforgivable, and it was cowardly.

"Should we do something?" Elise whispered, tilting her head to better observe them. A problem with most bird-sarks was the placement of their eyes, which usually made it something of an annoyance to use for surveillance, and depth-perception was nearly impossible without assisting magic.

"Not unless either one puts the girl or her mother at risk…" Egil replied tensely. He didn't like this, not knowing what would happen if the target of an Exorcising was a human being. Demons were supposedly killed or driven off, but what happened when there was a risk of the demon being inside the victim? Or, maybe he had misunderstood something along the way, and he was just being needlessly fretful.

"Shiemi! You are to leave this garden at once!" Shiemi's mother called attention to herself with a shout, and her daughter's face pulled up into a teary scowl. It was sad to see, truly, for it spoke of a deeper connection to what she was being asked to give up.

"-Mother!"

"I don't care how precious it may have been to your grandmother! This accursed garden-…It cannot be worth sacrificing your own health to say here!"

"I feel bad for her…" Elise muttered, looking down for a moment; "It's like if someone tried taking something precious away from you."

"I know…" Egil nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the girl and her mother. Even though his life had been spent with little interaction beyond his sister and parents, he still knew what sympathy was, and the current situation gave him quite a bit for Shiemi.

"This garden was Granny's greatest treasure! I HATE YOU, MOTHER!"

"…Damn." Elise sighed. She winced, visible through her disguise even. Egil couldn't but agree, and felt uncomfortable at witnessing the events below. As Shiemi's outburst seemingly overworked her, the girl collapsed, much to the fright of her mother, as well as the brothers; "Shit…What now?"

"We wait." He muttered, knowing there was little else they could do. If Rin or Yukio saw them, questions would be asked, and he lacked answers that would not cause suspicion. Elise audibly growled at the response, resembling their uncle far too much for his liking. He looked at her, trying to convey with his stare that revealing themselves would mean more trouble than whatever she could hope to accomplish; "It is all we _can_ do, so deal with it."

"No need to be such an ass about it, brother _dearest_." She uttered the final word with so much sarcasm he could have taken it for malice. Yet he knew it wasn't, for despite all her being introverted, Elise was incapable of maliciousness. At least, as far as he was aware.

As Shiemi was carried inside, into what appeared to be a barn, the siblings remained in hiding, debating their next course of action whilst keeping an eye on ongoing events. So far, the half-humans and Shiemi's mother had remained in the garden, where Rin was kept outside of the conversation between his brother and the older woman.

"Ever since her grandmother died, she has been shutting herself away in here, and spending all her time tending to the garden…and it's since then that her legs started deteriorating as well…" Shiemi's mother grumbled through her pipe, leaning her forehead against the door to where her daughter now slept. Yukio stood behind her, silently awaiting the woman's next words; "…it reminds me of her grandmother…She had bad legs as well…Why is this happening?"

"Seems like Rin's out of ideas…" Elise mused quietly, nodding at the older twin with her beak; "…I still think we should do something."

"And what would that be?" Egil demanded tersely, feeling the situation scrape against his own patience as well; "Unless you feel like revealing yourself to him, I do not see how we _could_."

"…maybe we should?"

At first, Egil simply failed to comprehend her response. When he did, however, he stared at his sister with two wide eyes, expression set in confusion behind his disguise. Elise seriously considered revealing themselves to the Sons of Satan? _Has she lost her mind? If we were to do that, all further observations would be rendered completely useless; Rin and Yukio would always suspect we were watching, we'd never know when they were just putting on an act!_

"Elise…I was being _very_ sarcastic." He would have palmed his face had he possessed the proper mobility to do so, and instead had to lower himself in a weary groan; "H-how can you even consider it?"

"I just don't think Rin's as dangerous as we first thought…" she retorted quietly, lowering her head as well.

"Rin isn't the main cause of my worries."

"Even if Yukio's dangerous, he's still just one person, and not even a full demon. Plus, he's a lot weaker than Rin, can't you feel that?"

"Don't underestimate humans, Elise, half-demons or not." Egil pressed out, averting his eyes from her so he could instead keep track of what happened below. He didn't want to miss anything just because Elise was being suicidal. Maybe it was because she had never looked them up, but human firearms were just about as potent as magical weapons, and he did _not_ wish to test Yukio's reluctance to use them; "Especially because of the true allegiance of the academy."

"…who, the Church?"

"Yes." He did his very best _not_ to come off as patronizing. It was hard, sometimes; "If _our_ true nature was revealed, I do not wish to imagine how fast Exorcists and priests would be at our heels, and in case you didn't already notice this, we're nowhere near as powerful in Midgard as back home. So please, for the love of the Norns, _don't_ let anyone know we're here."

"Right, right…sorry."

" _Gods…_ " he sighed, letting out some of the built-up tension; "Sometimes I really wonder if you think yourself immortal or something?"

"Hey, I'm still getting used to the whole 'bleeding is a thing' issue, so cut me some slack, okay?" she grumbled in irritation. Egil scoffed and did his best to ignore her protests. He loved his sister dearly, truly he did, but sometimes she could be as behaviorally challenged as the beasts she spent time with; "…Egil?"

He shut her out, trying to determine whether flying closer would be viable. If they _did_ , it would make it easier to hear what was said, especially between Yukio and the mother, but it could also heighten the risks of discovery.

"Egil."

"Schhh…"

" _Egil!"_ when Elise hissed his name in frustration, he finally looked up at her. But Elise was not looking at him. Instead, following the direction of her eyes, he looked to the roof of the main building; " _Look_ "

A second pair of birds was perched on the curving tiles of the broad roof, both larger than Egil and Elise's temporary forms. Black as coal, though as gleaming as the most precious of stones, and with eyes that were amber and intelligent as any, _ravens_ were truly a rare sight. Yet, something in the way the larger birds behaved told him these were _not_ ordinary ravens. _Oh Fenris bite me!_

"Do you think those two are…?" Elise let the question hang in the air, audibly too terrified to finish it. Egil could feel cold dread in his own veins as well, fearing the numerous reasons for their observers. He liked almost none of the causes he could imagine, and he was not enough of an optimist to consider those he _did_ like.

" _Don't_ look at them." He whispered, shifting on his talons. Thor's testicles, what did they do now? If the ravens were just thát, ordinary ravens, he knew they sometimes ate smaller birds, and sparrows were as small as they came. If the ravens were more than _just_ ravens, he couldn't even begin to think of ways things would _not_ go wrong.

Helheim and mother had always been near, a protective sphere against the machinations of foreign powers. Jotunn, giants, the Aesir and the Church, all had been on the hunt for even the tiniest of slipups from Hela's side. Any breach, even the slightest letdown in their defenses would have been exploited, and in this regard the gods had been no better than Surt and his ilk. Jotunnheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, all different places yet all equally eager to strike at the one power unbent to their will.

Now, outside of Helheim, outside of Mother's reach, stripped of immortality and potent powers, the siblings suddenly felt, truly felt, the fear self-preservation brought. Hoping for the opposite to be true as he might, Egil no longer harbored any doubt.

Those were Huginn and Munin, the ravens of Odin.

"We're _fucked_ …" Elise whimpered, trembling like a chick. Egil did his best to not let his own fear show, but Elise was anything but making that easy; "If they're here it means _they_ 're tracking us, it means _he_ is tracking us- it means _he_ is looking for us! It means-"

"Elise!" Egil snapped, hitting her over the head with the back of his wing; "Be. Quiet. They might not be, so just behave like a sparrow and be _quiet_."

"I wanna go _home..."_

"Well we _can't_ , because that's probably just what they'll want us to try." He growled, feeling his body tense up. Every hair stood, and shivers ran down his spine at the thought of _him_. If the ravens were tracking them, likely nowhere would be completely safe, and he was not naïve enough to hope them friendly. The gods never had been; "Remember what Yukio said, this place protects against high-ranking demons. We'll be fine."

"Gods aren't demons!" Elise exclaimed, her voice close to breaking. It was a miracle, nothing less, that none of the people they had been watching had discovered them yet.

"Then you haven't been paying attention." He snapped. Egil was no less terrified, but knew as the man that _he_ was to protect _her_ ; "It's the same principle, so _be quiet_."

"They're still looking _straight at us_!"

"Don't _look_ at them."

"Egil they're laughing!- they're _laughing_!"

"They're just big birds." He insisted again, no longer caring about the people below. His eyes were now on the ravens across the garden, body tensed in preparation for fight or flight. _If we kill them, they're just reborn in Asgard, and then Odin will know. If we flee, they'll return, and Odin will know. SURT'S COCK! What in Helheim's name do we do?!_

And then the ravens took off. Egil braced himself for flight, yet the ravens did not seem to further care. They split, one flying north while the other dove, disappearing from sight as it vanished beyond the towering bridge.

The siblings were left perched on the branch, each stunned to silence with disbelief and dread remaining in them. When the north-going raven was finally out of sight, Egil allowed himself to finally breathe. He had held his breath for longer than he had thought himself capable of, and now his legs felt ready to fail him.

And he had no idea what to do.

* * *

 **This one took me a bit longer to write, mainly because I had some real life stuff going on, as well as getting used to the goings on of home after having been gone for a year and all that. _"Dyreham"_ have no English translation, but the closest I could find was 'Sark', which is basically wearing the skin of an animal. In Norse Mythology, the gods could dress themselves in magical skins from all sorts of animals, regardless of size, and gain the abilities and traits, such as when Odin took the shape of an eagle to bring back Suttung's mead - that one is actually a pretty funny story - which ends with the discovery of ale/beer(You do _not_ want to know what it really is) and each 'Sark' is a magical skin enabling shape shifting. **

**As before, I want to keep the timeline – or whatever one might call it – going as in the manga. Funny thing is, I have found my favorite scenes and moments in the anime are all in the manga, while the manga also has so, _so_ many more awesome scenes. Truly, the only thing lacking in the manga is the awesome fighting music when asses are kicked.**

 **The gods of Asgard, especially if you stick to the sagas, Eddas and myths, instead of Marvel's glorifying of them as "good guys", "perfect people" and "wise enough to not make mistakes and amoral decisions" are human in the way they act and think, and even have the very real concept of mortality, death and old age, as well as love and birth. In this, they are as human as the best and worst of us, and vengeance, jealousy and negative emotions play as large a role amongst them as with humans.**

 **I think that's why I like them, personally, because they are so much easier to understand and identify than Jesus or God, the latter of whom went from genocidal, jealous megalomaniac to forgiving, merciful, good, plentiful and loving personality.**

 **It should be no secret nor any surprise, that the gods detest Hela. She represents what they do not like to acknowledge 'Death', and "stole" Balder. In their eyes, she is usually considered either a slight person, or even a direct monster, depending on your sources. As such, Egil and Elise were never out of their sights, something they have only just now realized.**

 **So, here's hoping some more people will let me know what they think. Generally I just find it awesome _knowing_ someone likes what I'm doing, since that's really the only reason we do this, working on this site so that others might enjoy the stories and ideas we hold in our minds.**


	6. Mirror that shows who I am

**So…apparently it is not appreciated that I have followed canon so far. Honestly though, I planned to more or less do so from the start. A common theme with my stories – and perhaps the reason for their lack of popularity – is a slow, descriptive start before the real action truly begins.**

 **It's just the way I do things.**

 **However, to those feeling like I stick too much to the script, here's a different sort of chapter for you guys. I truly hope you enjoy it, because it was literally the biggest gamble I have taken with the story so far. Always is, when dealing with surprises, shocks and explanations, and I honestly don't know how well I do those three.**

* * *

 **Mirror that shows who I am**

* * *

Egil was unsure of what to do.

In truth, he was terrified. Terrified at the prospect of being tracked so far from home, by eyes so hostile to himself and his sister that so many previously important considerations and arguments were now rendered moot.

He wanted nothing more than to run, to retreat back to the main academy and hide away in their dormitory. Yet the problem was that he had little to no clue as to just where that was in relation to their current position, thus leaving the siblings with little choice but to remain where they were, and continue shadowing the Okumura twins. Their only way back was through the door unlocked with Yukio's key.

"Elise…?"

Elise had not said a word since the ravens had departed. Now, she just sat there on the branch, unmoving as if dead. Only the blinking of her eyes showed she was still with him, though he knew better than to assume her capable of helping now. If seeing Huginn and Munin had frightened him, it had _petrified_ Elise, and he did not doubt tears were rolling on her cheeks behind the disguise of the sparrow.

And as he had expected and feared, she did not even visibly react to him saying her name. Why couldn't Odin just leave them alone? What had _they_ done to warrant harassment from the King of the gods? He could not see a valid reason for this, leaving him with a rotten taste of dread on his tongue.

Rin, meanwhile, seemed to have awoken Shiemi, and was now conversing with the young girl. Egil forced his attention away from Elise to better follow the words, yet his mind was still too clouded with trepidation to fully catch the meaning of what was going on beneath them.

As such, he was vaguely surprised when the black-haired youth started hacking away at bushes and flowers with his sword, though still wrapped in its linens. Each course through the plants tore up precious and fragile flowers, snapped stalks and spread leaves like snowflakes in the storm.

The aggression was so unexpected that it managed to drag Egil a little from his petrification.

"…what is he doing?" he muttered under his breath, trying to see a purpose to wanton destruction.

"Looking for the demon." Elise muttered with a voice as lifeless as their home had once been. She hadn't moved a muscle when speaking, and Egil knew better than to attempt making her do so. The terror still sat in her, and he did not know how to uproot it; "It's a plant, over there…"

"…you…can see it?" he asked, feeling once again baffled at her abilities; "What does it look like?"

"…it's a flower. Tiny, fragile…yet unnaturally full of energy, with veins spreading all across the garden…" her voice remained just as lifeless, yet the more she spoke, the more Egil hoped to hear her recover some semblance of energy. Egil watched in silence as Shiemi finally broke down, regretting sacrificing her life-force for the garden, followed by Yukio stepping forth from his hiding; "…Wait…"

"What is-" Egil only managed those two words before what took place below them overwhelmed his comprehension. Shiemi, who had until now been nearby Rin in the garden, screamed in terror as _something_ started lifting her from the ground. Her legs, as far as Egil could tell, became blurred shapes which he was unable to really _see_ , and her posture spread out like the popular depiction of Jesus; "What's going on?"

"Shiemi!"

"The demon is taking over her body." Elise stated, as had she merely told him the skies were blue. Egil's eyes danced between his sister and the scene below, terrified now for the safety of the human girl. He couldn't _see_ the demon, but he could feel the malicious energies now springing forth like the tongues of a fire; "Close your eyes."

He did so, and saw the source of the dark energies.

On one side of the garden, Rin and Yukio seemed prepared to fight, pouring mainly Rin's aura all over the nearby area. All around the twins, the grass seemed to wither and turn brown, almost as a physical representation of Rin's dark magic.

When Rin drew his sword, however, Egil had trouble processing the sight. It was as if the boy had become another being. Blue flames stood from his head, and a tail sprung from his back. His ears grew longer than those of elves, and his inhuman canines finally stood out clearly against the bared teeth.

He could not make out what the brothers spoke of, only that Yukio seemed content with standing back as his brother stepped up. Trembling sensations shot through the air, and it felt as if a voice challenged his ear, yet he could consciously not hear a word. If one could not _see_ demons, did that mean he also couldn't hear them?

"Should we do something?" Elise asked, her tone now increasingly tense.

"Only if he brings the girl in danger." Egil replied tersely; "We only jump in if one of the Sons of Sa-"

Rin then took off, running at speeds far surpassing what humans would be capable of. Egil tracked the youth with his eyes, trying to see how he would act _before_ he did so. It was in particular the sword he was concerned with, as the blade itself also seemed on fire, and experience had taught so many before that magical fire did not care for gentleness when humans were in the way.

"-Satan, harms a human…" Egil had barely finished his sentence before Rin took his first lunge, striking forward with a speed the human eye could not have seen. Assisted by his heritage and magic, Egil could track the blade as it swept through the air, aiming at something beyond Shiemi's arm.

"Shit." Elise grumbled, seeing what Egil could not. When she spoke next, Egil was taken aback at the venom in her voice; "The demon is using her as a _shield_ …"

"Elise?" he looked between her and Rin, as the latter was thrown backwards, hitting his brother. Yukio managed not to fall, but was knocked back. The sword-bearing twin landed in a heap at his feet, yet he already started getting back up.

"I'm going to stop this." Elise stated, spreading her wings; "Else, the girl will die. Every wound they would manage to inflict, it would just siphon the life from her."

"Wait, what are you-" Egil barely managed just that before his sister took off, leaving him behind on the branch. His eyes were glued to her form as she soared through the air, shedding the sparrow-sark before impacting the ground between the hovering girl and the brothers; "Oh for the love of Mother!"

"Wait, you're-" Yukio started, his shock and surprise likely somewhat comparable to what Egil was experiencing now. Underneath the disguise, his hair stood like a snow-white bush of thorns, each soft yet as staunch as horn; "H-Helasdottir-San!"

Elise, however, paid the brothers no heed, and instead faced down whatever kind of being holding Shiemi in the air. Her hair stood as if electrocuted, with the faintest of sparks dancing across her form. Egil, putting her safety before all, flew closer, desperately wishing she had not revealed herself. It could only mean trouble, and now there would be questions asked. That was, if Elise was not harmed. She was wild by nature, and he feared she somehow still believed herself beyond the reach of death.

And where she stood, a hand was reached forth, as if she wanted to grab Shiemi, yet she did not reach to touch, but to clench the air. And cold, even where Egil sat, permeated the air;

" _ **Hlaupa**_ _hinn fljóð! Ek bjóða yð fram dauði yðarr_ _ **ó-verk**_ _, yð skulu_ _ **deyja**_!"

It came out as low as a whisper, yet the words echoed across the garden, each syllable laced with magic as old as Yggdrasil itself. Egil was stunned to a standstill, unable to do as much as contemplate his next act. He air itself seemed to shiver around his sister, and the grass she stood on _died_ underneath the soles of her feet.

Elise, the girl whom he knew to foster such love for all living beasts, now showed herself in the light befitting of the heiress of Helheim. Her touch brought death to those who her angered, and even as he struggled to process the events before him, Egil could see Shiemi shudder and tremble in the air, before simply, as were she a sack of meat, she was dropped to the ground.

Immediately, his fear was that Elise had killed the child. The last thing he could want in this world was for his sister to take an innocent life, regardless of her destiny. He knew this was naïve, in that all who ended up in Helheim had been in their own way innocents, and yet it was a hope he bore with no regrets.

"Shiemi!"

Rin, the youth momentarily forgotten by Egil, now ran forward, as if he did not even see the way plants died where Elise stood. When Egil looked back, his sister's hair had dropped down, and she stood as if in confusion and disbelief. She seemed terrified at what had transpired.

And Egil, yet hidden in his sark, was terrified at what _would_ now happen.

"Wh-what was _that_?!" Rin yelled, frightened to the core from what Egil could tell. The half-human lifted Shiemi in his arms as he knelt, keeping her in a somewhat seated position. His eyes were visibly torn between the two girls. One was yet unconscious, the other having appeared from nowhere with power no human could wield.

"Is she alive?" Elise might as well not have heard his words, for all the attention she leveled at Rin. Egil felt torn between coming to his sister's aid, and remaining hidden. He was out where he could no longer feel the bottom, and his mind hurt with the mounting frustrations; "Rin, is she alive?"

"Y-yeah…she's breathing…" Rin stammered, glancing down at Shiemi who yet remained unconscious, then back up at Elise, who had not moved from where she stood. Her expression showed clear uncomfortableness with the attention, and as he watched Yukio approach her, Egil knew he had to do something, lest she be harried with questions she could not face; "B-but, where'd you even…"

"Moriyama-chan!" Yukio had reached her, and Elise looked as if there was nothing she would rather do but to flee the place; "Nii-san, is she-?"

"She's fine…she's fine, Yukio…" Rin breathed, shoulders yet tense. Egil gnawed on his lips, body refusing to make the jump he knew would save his sister from interrogation. It was as if her actions had caused his muscles to freeze up. Had her display of magic truly frightened _him_ to such a degree?

"Helasdottir-san…" Yukio began, yet paused as if he did not know what to ask first. At this, Egil's body finally obeyed him, and he landed on the ground behind the tree, shedding the sark before stepping into the garden and the view of its occupants. Yukio snapped from Elise to him, for which Egil was grateful; "…Baldersson?"

Egil sighed with frustration, wishing none of this had taken place. Alas, this was where he was at, most of it because Elise had acted as she had. In that aspect, though, he supposed a lot of the blame could be placed with those blasted ravens.

If Huginn and Munin had not shown up, he and Elise would not have been terrified out of their minds, and she would not have disregarded their planned secrecy in favor of instead jumping in. And yet, in the end it did not really matter _how_ this had happened, only that it had, and now he stood to deal with the consequences.

As for that, he decided that now, when both brothers had seen Elise perform what should definitely not be a human feat, he could at least drop the pretenses and let the façade drop, such as it was. Crossing his arms before his chest, he at first offered a concerned glance down to where Rin was still supporting the unconscious Shiemi, then back to Yukio, who seemed abnormally fixated on correcting the position of his glasses.

"You can ask your questions, Sænsei, but I beg that you do it later, when we do not have… unaffiliated nearby." He said, then shifted on his feet and looked to his sister. Elise was still standing as rigidly as before, with each fist clenched in tension.

This had all gone so terribly wrong.

* * *

"I really wish Elise could just have stayed on that branch…" Egil groaned, mostly to himself, as he pushed down the handle to the Okumura room.

The four youths, not one of them fully human, had returned to the academy. Egil and Elise had remained in hiding as the brothers and Shiemi had finished what was supposed to have been an exorcism, yet Egil still had no idea what exactly had happened.

Magic, such as it was, was a difficult thing to properly determine. It would most often behave like the extended will of the person, and other times entirely different from this, it would require runes, rituals and complicated traditions he had never found much interest in. Ironically, this had been one of the only academic subjects in which Elise had actually been better than him.

Grandfather had told plenty of hilarious stories though, about what Odin had been forced through during the calamity with Mimir.

Now, however, there was nothing hilarious about the current situation. Now, Elise had retreated to their room, hiding under the covers in the most blatant declaration of "leave me alone!" one could possibly utter. This, though he was glad she was unharmed and merely shocked, still left Egil with the unenviable role of facing the Sons of Satan alone.

It was why Bani was concealed just below his uniform, ready to be drawn and brought to bear on a moments notice. Rin might have shown himself to be _faster_ than Egil could ever hope to become, but Egil hoped he at least was the stronger.

When he entered the twins' room, which lay just above their own, Egil had found Rin to be in one of the beds, reading through what seemed to be a book, while Yukio was leaned against his desk, facing the door with one of his firearms resting on the table.

It was a warning, that much was clear as day.

"You are not just simple students… _are_ you?" Yukio did not offer him even a moment to find his bearings, and instead launched that simple yet devastating question straight from the start. Egil, determined not to lose face to his current opponents, forced his expression to calm. He deliberately took his time taking one of the chairs from the desk next to Yukio's, where he then placed himself, presenting for all he was worth an air of confidence.

Rin at this point had stopped reading, and now sat upright in his bed, looking at Egil with intense curiosity, and not a little anxiety. Egil, at least, was happy to see the sword out of Rin's current reach, meaning he would have at least a second or two, should the meeting turn foul. The youth's ears were also back to normal, though not what humans would view as such.

"And neither are the two of you, Yukio and Rin Satansson." He used the name, though knowing it was incorrect. People from this part of Midgard did not use proper surnames, but to him it felt right to say it. It was the truth, and they might as well know that he knew.

Yet, from the way the brothers jerked back at his words, they clearly understood what he meant. Rin's eyes widened in surprise, while Yukio's narrowed in clear suspicion. Forestalling hostilities as best he could, Egil did not lift even a finger upon speaking. He simply sat, and watched them for reactions. In the way they displayed them, it struck him once again how these brothers were similar to Elise and himself. Different as the day and the night.

"What did you call us?" Yukio demanded more than asked, yet his voice never rose above normal. Egil adjusted his seat a little, then regretted when he realized it could be viewed as a weakness. He had never liked intense discussions, preferring open debates with his tutors. Yet this would clearly be the former.

"In our homeland, it is custom for daughters to have their mother's name after their own, thus giving Elise 'Helasdottir' as her second name. Sons, however, are given the name of their father." He allowed this to linger in the air, whether the brothers would use the pause to process his words or plan to attack. When neither half-demon made a move, he continued; "It should be clear to you both now, that Elise and I are aware of your parentage. We are also aware that not long ago, something breached the barrier between this world and Gehenna, and that one of you were instrumental in this somehow happening."

"Who, if I may ask, exactly are you?" Yukio asked, making his voice softer yet failing to conceal the threat within. Or maybe he never meant to conceal it. There _was_ a firearm on the desk, and Egil doubted it was unloaded; "And why do you know about our parentage?"

"The possibility of a breach in the barrier represents a grave threat to us." Egil instead said, pointedly ignoring the first question for now; "The fact that we do not yet know why or how it was opened, or even by which one of you, means too many uncertainties. We're here to make sure it doesn't happen…"

"…Are you from the Vatican?" Rin asked, causing Egil to blink in surprise for just a moment before he regained his composure and looked to the elf-eared brother. Shaking his head, Egil could not quite hide his bemusement at being mistaken for the only threat against them possibly rivaling Satan himself. _T'is all a matter of perspective, I suppose…to Rin, likely the Vatican represents the largest immediate danger, yet here he is, in a Church organization…I suppose there is some resemblance to be found._

"No, Rin, we are not..." Egil said, looking at the youth he had almost begun to view as, if not a friend, then at least a fellow; "But like the Vatican, Elise and I were tasked with combating any possibility of Satan entering this world. Right now, all signs point to the two of you being one such possibility."

"You came here to spy on us." Yukio said, and not as a question. Rin seemed surprised at his brother's words, and looked to Egil as if to hope for denial. Egil, instead, merely nodded; "But you're _not_ from the Vatican."

"Indeed not, no."

"And you're spying on us to determine whether or not we represent a threat to the world." Yukio continued, narrowing his eyes behind those light-reflective glasses of his.

"Indeed we are, yes."

"W-would telling you what happened help, then?" Rin's question caught him off guard, and seemingly did the same with Yukio, who stared aghast at his brother. Egil watched Rin for signs of deceit, yet found only extreme uncomfortableness and regret shining from eyes deep, blue and _human_. The eyes, it was said, were windows to the soul, and Rin's only radiated shame and regret, as well as a thirst for vengeance desperately attempted concealed.

"Nii-san!"

"It would, yes." Egil nodded, ignoring the way Yukio's eyes changed from staring at his brother to glaring at him. One hand was now on the desk, close to the firearm's handle. Egil pretended not to notice, and kept his eyes on Rin instead; "It would go a long way to assuage fears back home."

"…It…" Rin started, averting his eyes; "It was my fault…"

"That's _not_ true." Yukio protested.

"I _said_ those things to Father! I made him do it, I made him lose control, Yukio!" Rin retorted, baring fangs in a grimace of pain; "If I hadn't been such a dick, he'd still be alive!"

"Even still-"

"Your Father? You do not mean Satan, I assume?" Egil cut Yukio's interruption short. Yet as he kept his question in a pleasant tone, Yukio did not stand to retort. Rin, on the other hand, briefly seemed ready to shout, then grimaced and settled into something of a saddened posture; "You were not raised, I think, by Satan."

"No…Father Shiro Fujimoto was our adoptive father." Yukio sighed, with as much grief in his voice as Rin's held regret.

"Bullshit! Shiro _was_ our dad!"

"So, when you argued over who killed your Father, you actually referred to the death of the man who raised you, not the one who sired you." Egil did not voice it as a question, and continued as soon as one brother nodded; "That…does explain a few things. It also makes me think neither of you have any desire to help Satan into this world."

"I'd only let him in here to kick him in the balls."

"Can I ask then, as a last question before I answer yours… Why did the barrier get breached?" facing Rin and Yukio both, he did his best to be sympathetic. Clearly, there were things they had gotten wrong before the start of this mission, and now all he could do was to clear up the misunderstandings and let Mother and Father know. _Not to even consider figuring out how to react to Odin keeping track of us…_

"I…said some shitty things to the old man, and he lost control." Rin grimaced, looking as if he was fighting back tears. Egil decided to stay quiet, allowing the twin the time he clearly needed. _We were wrong on so many things…_ "Satan used that and possessed his body, then opened the gate."

"Why?" if he was already _in_ Midgard, Egil could not see why Satan would need a gate anyway. Unless it was to let the rest of his forces through.

"He tried taking me to Gehenna." Rin said. The words caused his brother to grimace, and the implications were enough to make the hairs stand on Egil's neck; "I used the Kurikara to destroy the gate. That's when…it's when I got this." Rin muttered, allowing his tail into view.

"I see…" it was, for now, all he could say. Considering the twins had not just lied to him, which he doubted, there was now a great many things cleared up. Facts had been rewritten from what little Mother had been able to find, and Egil did no longer believe Rin nor Yukio would in any capacity willingly assist Satan with anything.

In truth, it was far more relieving than he had thought possible.

"Now that we've answered your questions, how about you answer ours?" Yukio said, wording it as a request yet clearly making a demand. Egil, content with the information he had received, no longer saw any harm to this, and nodded, removing his hand from Bani's place underneath his uniform.

"I find that fair. You may ask what you wish."

"Since we already know you came here to spy on us, who sent you?"

"Our parents." Egil replied truthfully. And yet, the reaction to the answer was as he had expected: confusion. Neither twin seemed to believe him, and it was clear on their expressions; "Unless you know of our culture, this is the best answer I can give you."

"Your _parents_ sent you to spy on us?" Rin deadpanned, and probably rightly so. It was not an answer that would make sense to most; "…why?"

"They have… better reasons than most to worry for the future of M- _Assiah_." Egil bit himself in the cheek for almost slipping into terms neither twin would understand; "Our main concern was that you would attempt to bring about the emergence of Satan into this world. Now that _that_ has been cleared, our purpose remains to see our training through to the end."

"Is Elise already an Aria?" Yukio then asked. Egil, surprised that the brothers simply accepted his explanation, blinked in confusion, and was even more confused to see Rin mirror his reaction.

"What is an 'Aria', if you do not mind me asking?"

"You don't know?" Yukio asked, seeming honestly surprised; "I'd have thought you knew, after what your sister did."

"I really don't know either, Brother…" Rin admitted, clearing his throat with a cough speaking of embarrassment. Yukio barely offered his brother more than a disappointed, yet not surprised glance, and looked back to Egil, whom remained at the desk, grey eyes watching the two brothers intensely; "… _what's with that look_?"

"An Aria is an Exorcist fighting primarily through the use of reciting holy texts, scriptures, mantras and the like. Most demons have a known verse which banishes them back to Gehenna." The apparently younger twin explained, pushing up his glasses as he did so; "I didn't understand a word of what she said, but from what I could see, the demon feared it…what did she say?"

"I don't think that's how what she did _works_ , I fear." Egil mused, scratching his chin with one hand while keeping the other crossed before his chest; "Elise didn't use some holy verse or anything, unless it was a pure coincidence. She just told the demon to leave Shiemi, otherwise she would kill it."

"And…that's why it fled?" Rin seemed more confused now than before; "Because she _threatened_ it?"

"It was my understanding your sister highly valued even the lives of demons…" Yukio noted, eyes narrowing less than before; "Did that change because Shiemi was in danger?"

"You misunderstand Elise's motivations, then." Egil sighed, yet did so with a smile. it was always a good feeling when he understood things few others did. Even if one such 'thing' was his sister's behavior; "She values _life_ , regardless of its form. She did not tell me why she chose to interfere, so I can only assume it was because she deemed the demon to be at fault…and it _fled_ , because it could likely feel Elise was more than capable of following through on her words."

"Just what _are_ the two of you, anyway?" Yukio demanded, yet more as an exasperated question than genuine interrogation. That was fine, Egil had been prepared to answer that question anyway. Yet for reasons he could not put a finger on, there was still something about Yukio he did not like.

"You truly do not know?" Egil was surprised, nonetheless, at the honest curiosity in Yukio's voice; "From the way you seemed to watch us when you introduced yourself at our first lesson, we both thought our secret was known already…"

"…I watched you?" once more, the younger twin sounded as surprised as he seemed; "When?"

"When you spoke of your age, it seemed as if you gauged Elise and myself…" Egil muttered, thinking back to that moment. Elise had seen something too, so how had it just been a coincidence? "Okumura, how _old_ do you believe Elise and I to be?"

"…I dunno, what, sixteen?" Rin mused from the side. Egil shook his head at the number; "…seventeen?"

"Twenty-six?" Yukio tried, despite his obvious confusion as to why such a question was even asked; "Twenty-eight?"

"By your standards, Elise and I are both closer to a thousand." He said, expecting neither brother to actually believe him. Wouldn't it also be easier to believe the sun was an illusion, than to think _he_ , who seemed human by all but perhaps his hair and eyes, could be so old?

"…" Yukio did not immediately deny his answer, but neither did he accept it. Instead, the Exorcist stared with a slightly opened mouth and incredulous eyes, blinking at a pace much too fast to be natural.

"Tha- that's a joke, right?" Rin tried, at least not trying to conceal his disbelief; "I mean, _no one_ can be thát old, and you don't even look older than me or Yukio."

"Rin, as the son of Satan, willingly or not, you are yourself not fully human." Egil stated, noticing the scowl passing over his classmate's expression; "Being that, you should know that if a being such as Satan exists, so would it be perfectly reasonable for other beings of tremendous power to exist. Your entirety is called "God" by so many, yet before the Church spread God's religion, my family was held in esteem as the goddess of Death, and the god of Light…I am Egil, son of Balder, son of Odin. Elise is the daughter of Hela, daughter of Angrboða."

"W-wait a second, are you saying you're _gods_?" Rin started, wide-eyed with disbelief, pointing a finger at Egil. Yukio, for whatever reasons he held, had not yet said a word; "Y-you really expect us to buy that?"

"Not _gods_ , no." Egil shook his head, leaning against the desk behind him; "Our parents are, yes, but as Elise and I have yet no role in the workings of the world, _we_ are not. You could consider us demigods, gods in pending, or not at all. In truth, currently the main difference between us, you and I, remains our age."

"…You'd think perhaps you could offer some sort of evidence." Yukio finally spoke, his voice just below normal. His eyes concealed behind the light reflecting off his glasses, the youth looked at Egil with unconcealed suspicion; "I know Mephisto is capable of magic, so does that mean you are too?"

Mephisto. Just what _was_ that man anyway? He was not a human, _that_ much had been established from the very first day. But he was not a god either, and did not give off the same kind of aura as Rin. Or, may be that he did, and Egil had not noticed?

"I know some, yes…" time had come to make a report, regardless of his location. And, it might actually serve them; "Could I borrow a bowl of water?"

"…water?" Yukio was the first to ask, even as Rin took off, grabbing a bowl from one of the shelves before he made a run for the door, vanished, and reappeared before Yukio had managed to start his next sentence. Even Egil was taken aback at the half-human's speed when Rin placed the bowl, made from some sort of metallic, white material Egil had not seen before, on the floor; "What can you do with water?"

Egil replied by not replying. Instead, he picked the bowl up and flung its contents onto the door, then magically held the water onto the flat surface. What started as protesting shouts died off when both brothers realized the water did not move on its own, but rather that it was forcefully smoothened out into a flat, plain and vertical surface.

"Whoa…Whoa, wow!" Rin exclaimed, hesitating for only a moment before poking the water-mirror. The liquid rippled, but only what clung to the boy's finger actually dripped onto the floor; "What the Hell _is_ this?"

"It looks like a mirror of some sort…" Yukio sounded far less ecstatic than his brother, and muttered under his breath; " _and water damage just waiting to happen_ …"

" _Visa_ _móður mína, drottning Helheimr_!"

His words caused ripples to appear in the mirror, and the image of their own faces vanished, replaced by what Egil recognized as their study. For just a moment, it seemed as if no one was on the other end, and Egil briefly doubted if he had done something wrong and simply showed what _belonged_ to Mother.

"Holy shit…"

"…agreed." Yukio breathed, turning to Egil; "What…where is this?"

"Home." Egil simply replied, hearing fast footsteps on the other side of the mirror.

He recognized the way Mother would put her feet, the sound it gave that was different from Father, before he even saw her. When Hela, Queen of Helheim came into view, it was not unexpected that Rin and Yukio both caught their breaths, for where Egil and Elise at least dressed as was common in Midgard, Mother dressed as she always had. Her white hair loose down her neck and face, it framed her pale complexion and led attention to her eyes, grey orbs now widened in surprise.

"Mother." Egil greeted her, unable to withhold his smile at seeing her. It had not even been a week, but he realized now how much he had still missed her. Then, he remembered the ravens, and his smile withered. He wanted nothing more than to tell her, to make her and Father know the gods were keeping an eye on them…But if he did, likely there was nothing she nor Father could do, only worry themselves to a mortal demise.

When he knew _why_ the gods were tracking them, _then_ he could tell her. Yes, that was more sound. Unfair to Elise, perhaps, but better for any long-term plans. He hoped.

"I have news." He said in English, if nothing else so that the twins could understand him. Mother's wide eyes narrowed as she looked at the boy behind him.

"… _yes, I see you must have._ _Did you truly consider it wise to show the ones whom your purpose was to observe, not just_ _ **your**_ _true nature, but mine as well?"_ she asked in their own language, visibly throwing the twins for a loop. Egil averted his eyes, saddened with his mother's disappointment.

"What'd she say?" Rin asked. Egil wanted to translate, but knew he had to convince Mother before anything else;

" _I just wanted…I do not think either is liable to assist_ Satan _, Mother. They have suffered great loss because of him, and vie to end him…Elise and I have watched them, as you asked, and they show nothing but fellowship for humans. I…believe they can be trusted."_

" _Where is your sister, Egil?"_

" _Asleep. She decided to go to bed early."_ He managed, and it was without lying. Mother now widened her eyes to more than they'd been even when she had first seen the twins behind him.

"… _truly?"_

" _Yes. Now, could we speak Anglian? Neither Rin nor Yukio understand what we are saying."_ He asked, hoping she would agree. He hoped her protectiveness of him and Elise wouldn't lead her to suspect the twins before they had even _done_ anything. It would not be…productive.

"I see." Mother said in Anglian, her accent so thick it was likely to be taken for another language altogether. She had only begun learning the language from their tutors a few human generations back, after all; "Well, then, Rin and Yukio Satanssons, it is a great relief to see you both are human, in appearance at least."

"…thanks? I think…" Rin muttered, seemingly trying to decide whether to look at the woman across the mirror, or simply avert his eyes.

"If I may ask, are you Hela?" Yukio asked in a more collected tone than his brother. Hela tilted her head a little, creasing her lips in a small smile.

"I see that Egil has told you about me, then." She mused, offering her son a glance, then looked back at Yukio; "Yes, I am Hela Angrboðasdottir, Queen of Helheim, spouse of Balder Odinsson and mother of Egil and Elise."

" _that's a long title…_ " Rin whispered, likely to himself. Egil heard it though, and considered elbowing the youth for it, then decided against it.

"It is a long title, yes, I agree." It was far more entertaining to watch as he was called out on the comment by Mother. The boy visibly flinched, reddening across the face; "If you wish, you may simply call me 'Hela'."

"Then, Hela, may I ask what you intend to do now?" Yukio stepped forward, not a little trepidation in his eyes; "From what I understood, the reason Egil and Elise came here was to ensure my brother and I didn't help Satan."

"You are correct, that is one reason they were sent to your academy." Mother nodded, casting her eyes on Egil. Not his face, but his uniform instead; "What you must understand is that our concern is for your world, regardless of what the Church believes. As Exorcists, my children will be better able to combat what forces may serve Satan."

"So…you really _are_ here to become Exorcists?" Rin turned to face Egil as the latter merely sighed. Rin was likely not going to believe it; "That's pretty cool!"

"…Well, I am glad it meets with your approval, at least." Hela chuckled faintly, probably finding Egil's expression amusing. Personally he didn't think so, but at least appreciated the levity of the situation. It was far preferable to the tension he had expected; "For now, however, I would appreciate it if you would not share this amongst others. The Church does not discriminate much between Satan's forces and myself, so all ties between my children and I must remain secret…Can I entrust you with this, in my absence?"

"…sure?" Rin replied before his brother could; "I mean, it's not like they like _us_ anymore than you, so, yeah sure."

"In that case…" Hela sighed, yet with more relief than strain; "I am glad to have met you, Rin and Yukio. Egil, give your sister my love, and I will see the both of you soon again."

"Yes, Mother." he nodded, watching and waiting for her image to fade away before he pulled the water back into the bowl. Most of it, anyway, but some splashed on the floor and soaked his right foot. Still, he was feeling too relieved with the situation to truly concern himself with a wet sock.

The worst had passed. He felt certain of that.

* * *

 **"Even if you loved your job, would you still do it for free?"**

 **That's a wording of a question I have been pondering quite a bit. I'm well aware I am far from the better authors and writers on this site, and I feel content with that knowledge that really talented people exist who reap in thousands of followers for their masterpieces, such as "Three Families" or "Living an Indoctrinated Dream". That's good, because talent should be nurtured and awarded when found.**

 **However, I also really wish I could hope for just a bit more response to _my_ stories as well. I know long starts and dragging descriptions do not make for action-breathing excitement, but that's just how some of us work. Currently I know _one_ person enjoys my work, and that's really all I ask: that people enjoy what I do as much as I enjoy doing it.**

 **Damn, okay, so that was my maniodepressive rant done with.**

 **Scrying, such as most media presents it, is a type of magic allowing the caster to use gems, mirrors, metal, water and other smooth, gleaming surfaces to see things far, far away. It's been used quite a lot in popular fiction, all the way from the Icelandic Sagas to modern novels, and really does hold potential for a lot of uses.**

 **The plot is likely going to start deviating somewhat from canon from here on out, something which was actually _planned_ from the start. Just so you know, this isn't going to be the manga without pictures. **


	7. Eyes of Jotunnheim

**So yeah, it's been a while since the last update. I can't exactly apologize for that because I had a deadline to reach with my co-writer on another story, so that...sorta came first.**

 **On top of that, I recently started VUC - Adult Educational Course - and that's been stealing a ton of my time. Whenever I do get the time to write, I have to argue with myself which story to update first - I sometimes feel like a made a terrible mistake in having a total of _four_ active stories to update. Believe me when I say it doesn't leave a lot of room for slacking off, and I usually prioritize the stories most people seem to want updates to first, so...yeah. Anyway, you guys seemed discontent with the lack of "action" in the previous chapters, as well as the way I stuck to the script like a mosquito on a troll's earlobe - it's a term, deal with it - so...yeah, feast your eyes on this here chapter, eh? **

* * *

"Son of a _Whorish Thrall!"_

Hobgoblins really _were_ colorful.

Egil hadn't been completely certain as to what Elise meant when she had said they were colorful and looked nothing like anything she'd ever seen. Now that he _could_ see the demon however, now that its teeth were currently sunk into his right forearm, he could definitely understand what she meant.

He also understood that perhaps the Exorcists despised demons so much because getting the Mashou the demon wound – was more painful than he had immediately imagined. Or, maybe it was simply because he'd presented his right arm like a spit of suckled pig.

The hobgoblin certainly seemed to be of that opinion.

"This is… _rather painful_ , Sænsei," he grunted through grit teeth, glaring down the smaller creature. The hobgoblin was barely the size of a large hound, and seemed intent on matching his glare nonetheless; "I can see the demon now, so can I remove it?"

Yukio, being the only other person in the room, nodded silently as he unholstered one of the silvery firearms from his waist. He always carried them, it seemed, regardless of the company. Or, was it because he still did not trust him and Elise?

"I don't think killing it will be necessary…" Egil stated, eyes narrowed at the youth. Yukio, to his credit, seemed to listen, and did not shoot. Instead, he seemed overtly wary of any sudden movements, even as the snow-haired god-to-be breathed a sigh of relief though clenched teeth.

Regardless of how much he agreed to Elise's viewpoint, being bitten by a hobgoblin still _hurt_. No doubt any human would have been screaming in his place, but Egil knew he would have been a puny example of his family had he done so. Instead, he placed the other hand on the hobgoblin's forehead, glaring into its split irises while applying just enough pressure that he could feel the beast begin to squirm and trash beneath his hand.

The glaring eyes instead became pleading, a wild, feral despair and terror residing deep within each. In spite of its size, the hobgoblin looked nothing but pitiful as he released its forehead, and it retreated from his arm in a frantic run.

There was no reason to give chase, and the four finger-sized holes in his arm would eventually soon heal.

* * *

 **Eyes of Jotunnheim**

* * *

Despite the intensity of classes, both those of becoming an Exorcist and the classes he and Elise both were required to attend with the uninitiated humans, Egil had found himself less challenged than he had expected to be. He knew, rationally, that this was only due to nearly a millennia in human years of tutors and scholars from Midgard acting as his and Elise's instructors in the ongoings of the human world.

Math, he could overcome, even though the numerals had always been foreign to him. He knew their meaning and worth, and even the history behind their introduction into the Christian society. There was irony, in that legacy, and if nothing else it was something to smile at.

Languages, he struggled with somewhat more. It was not as much understanding as making himself understood, that caused him trouble, for while he could understand Japanese, he could not speak it, and the somewhat arrogant part of his mind demanded that he remedied this. It was either that, or his simple thirst for understanding.

Or, it could have been both. He wasn't certain, only of that he wanted to be able to speak their language. Language was culture, a wise soul had once told him in the study, and to know the language was to immerse oneself in that culture.

But still, throughout both classes, there was one thing that repeated its course though his mind.

Moriyama Shiemi was meek, frail and timid. There was nothing about her that seemed to adhere to the fact that Exorcists were meant to combat demons. She was shy, as well, and hardly seemed to speak to anyone but Rin and Yukio, the latter with obvious admiration. Egil did not yet know much about how humans went and thought, how they felt, but he could still sense something off about the way those three interacted.

Rin would either bicker with his brother, or attempt to have either Egil or Elise reveal more of their home. It was not surprising that the youth had become curious, yet some questions he posed were bordering on becoming annoying. And as he focused all of his attention on the siblings, Egil could not help but notice that Rin, when in the presence of others, was oftentimes outright ignoring Shiemi.

And he wasn't certain why that bothered him.

Shiemi's hair, he thought, was most likely what had caught his interest. In a land of black, she seemed to stand out like a Jotunn in Alfheim. White was not a color he thought human hair supposed to be, and it confused him somewhat how he hadn't noticed that when he and Elise had been watching the garden. Maybe he had, but the combination of Huginn and Munin, as well as Elise's reveal, had simply overshadowed it?

"You're doing it again."

"Hmm?" slowly, he shifted his attention to where Elise was looking at him, the faintest hint of annoyance and amusement, in equal measure, visible behind her eyes; "Forgive me, what?"

"You've been drifting off a lot since the garden." She spoke as if it was a repetition. Maybe it was, and he had just not heard her the first time. It was possible, and she certainly seemed righteously indignant at being ignored. The hair curving above her ears had started to stand, and her nose was scrunched as had she smelled something especially repugnant. Her expression just then reminded him of the facial expression of the hobgoblin, while its teeth had still been in his arm; "Something's on your mind, isn't it?"

The wounds were almost closed now, not even a day later.

"What if it is?" he asked her in return, turning his gaze away to instead focus on the clouds above. The skies were all but blue, with barely a cloud breaking the uplifted seas. The weather here was far warmer than either sibling was used to, and as a result he had stripped shoes and socks off, content with feeling the grass against his skin.

True Cross Academy didn't have a great many grassy fields, but this was at least one of them.

"Well…I dunno, it could be a pretty good idea to share it?" she muttered, ripping grass from the ground before scattering it in the wind. A few strands landed in his face, and his resulting expression was apparently funny.

"…it's nothing important." He sighed, brushing off both her question and the grass.

"Whatever." She huffed, sticking her feet in the air. Egil was fairly certain she would have killed anyone daring to look, had she still worn the skirt her uniform had included. The altered version simply followed her legs up, refusing gravity as it remained raised; "It's not like I really care anyway…What's our next class, by the way?"

"Something that entails running, I think…" Egil could imagine the fain grin on his sister's lips. She was fast, faster than him and probably faster than any humans. He wasn't sure if she was faster than Rin, but wasn't that just a matter of demonstration? "I overheard Suguro and Shima talk about running."

"Dual-hair and Pinkie?"

"Yes, that…what?" he couldn't immediately process what she meant by those terms, and only slowly began to realize just what those words implied; "Why did you…call them that?"

"Because I felt like it?" she asked more than explained; "Suguro's so grumpy, I feel like he'd punch a rabbit if it ate a carrot the wrong way. And Shima's _just…irritating_ me."

"I see." He didn't, but it was by far easier than trying to understand what had prompted her irritation at the less-than serious boy. Shima _could_ be somewhat annoying, with how he seemed to treat everything as a jest, but Egil doubted that was what rubbed his sister the wrong way. Or, maybe that _was_ it, because it reminded her so much of herself? So, maybe he _did_ see after all; "And, Miwa?"

"Dunno...He kinda reminds me of a puppy, I guess. Small, weak, lost and frightened…" she blew out a sigh, swinging her legs down and using the momentum to roll to a stand; "Same could be said for Shiemi, I suppose…still, at least she's _trying,_ from what I can see."

Egil looked up at her, curiosity most of all in his eyes. Elise's expression soured and she poked him in the side with the tip of her shoe, just hard enough that he could feel it through the uniform; "Shut up…"

"I did not say a thing." He defended himself with a faint smile, getting to his feet as well.

This next class might just be interesting.

* * *

The next class, as it turned out, _was_ interesting, but did not take place in their usual classroom. Instead it was located on the ground floor of the Academy. It was very much like a dungeon, complete with a set of large cages in its central pit, each holding what looked to Egil to be very large frogs.

Of course, on that basis he knew the frogs to be a new kind of demons.

Currently, he was relegated to watching as Elise and Izumi ran circles through the room's concrete basin. The large pentagonal pit carved into the ground provided the arena for the students to attempt outrunning the Leapers, as the frog-like demons were called. Neither girl truly seemed to have trouble with keeping their distance to the creature, but Elise was clearly holding back.

As the girls finished their tenth round, the instructor - a rather feminine man, if Egil had ever seen one – called a stop to the drill and yanked a lever that pulled the Leaper back to the center of the arena. Tsubaki Kaoru, the instructor nodded approvingly at the girls.

"You are both in fine conditions. You especially, Helasdottir." It was easy, even from this distance, to see the smirk on Elise's lips. Izumo straightened out what seemed to be imaginary folds in her uniform before following Elise up the stairs. Egil wasn't yet sure whether or not he disliked that girl. On one hand, she was clearly the same as he when it came to preferring books to socializing. But on the other, he had yet to see her display anything but disdain for her classmates, himself included; "Alright, Okumura and Baldersson, your turn."

Up close, the Leaper was a lot less like a frog or a toad than Egil had assumed. It easily towered over him, reminding him more of a reptilian bear than a common amphibian, and the eyes staring him down seemed devoid of intelligence bar the need for devouring prey. _This is a predator_ , he realized, finding the creature's eyes unnerving to stare at. He knew he shouldn't have, but there was something in them that seemed far too cold for his liking.

"Alright, let's do this!"

Still, Rin seemed eager. Tsubaki accepted that as his cue and pulled the lever, giving the Leaper plenty of chain. The demon reacted almost immediately, taking off towards the boys. Egil had already turned to sprint when their instructor slacked the chain, and still felt the tremors going through the floor as the demon landed behind him.

Rin shot past him, running at speeds Egil did not even bother trying to mirror. Because of that, or simply an otherwise dislike, the Leaper seemed to focus all its ire at Egil, even as he sprinted the best he could. He _knew_ he wasn't slow, and yet the blasted thing kept landing mere _meters_ behind him, each time coming closer to an actual impact. Remembering the pain from his Mashuo, and knowing he was anything but immortal in Midgard, Egil had no desire to actually let the creature catch him.

"Shit, shit shit _shit._ " Each curse was punctuated by a kick-off as he leapt more than ran in circles. Rin was meters ahead of him, and seemed to find the exercise funny more than anything. And since the rules strictly forbade it, he couldn't even kill the demon in case it caught up; "Wait up Rin!"

"C'mon, Egil!" Elise yelled from the upper levels; "Run like you fucking _mean_ it!"

"I _am_!" he yelled back, knowing that if he raised his fist at her it'd break his stride and slow him down. He also knew that she was right, in her own way. He'd be a sorry candidate for godhood if he couldn't even beat a half-human at it. If he'd spent his time in Helheim like she had, running around with Garmr, maybe this wouldn't have been such a chore.

"Then you suck at it!" she called again, her voice brimming with cheek. It was as infuriating as it was borderline nostalgic, mainly because she would usually be teasing him from higher places, like the back of Nidhogg. This was hardly any different.

"That's easy for-" the moment his eyes finally went to Elise, they left the ground in front of him. Unable to see where he was going, Egil stumbled and fell; "Oh _Surt_ …"

The floor was slightly rugged to improve friction for the runners, and as a result he could feel every imperfection against his skin as he skidded across the ground. The immediate pain was in his forehead and nose, the latter feeling like it was hit by a fist of granite. Then came the pain as the rest of him hit the ground, the high speed carrying him in a clumsy, uncontrolled roll until he finally came to a stop, with every muscle and bone screaming in protest.

The sound of a strangled growl came from uncomfortably close by, allowing Egil a second of recognition as he saw the Leaper halt in the air above him. The chain around its neck yanked it backwards through the air, leaving Egil to stare at where it had been in something of a stunned realization of his own mistake. Possibly, very probably, the impact would have caused him a high degree of pain had the instructor not prevented just that.

"…gods _dammit_ …" Egil groaned, letting his head fall back down on the floor. The impact caused his existing headache to spike, but what hurt the most was his face. He was fairly sure he was bleeding from at least one place, and he could feel his lips having cracked. Blood seemed to be streaming from his nose as well, just further adding to his collection of injuries from a single fall; "…that was… _pathetic_."

"Holy shit, you okay?" Rin had made his way back and was now kneeling besides him, a look somewhere between lingering surprise and relieved concern in his eyes. Human eyes. Once again, even in his current state of dizziness, Egil saw a human above him, not a demon; "I didn't think you _could_ get hurt-"

"Yes, well…" Egil slowly sat and watched the room spin, even as Tsubaki descended from the central platform; "…consider that a lesson on me, then…"

"My goodness, Baldersson, are you injured?" the instructor demanded more than simply asked. Egil turned a weary set of eyes on the man, trying to figure out the answer to that question himself before he _could_ give him an answer.

"I don't…think so…" he tried, feeling at his face. His right hand came away wet with blood, gleaming in the light from above. The hobgoblin's bite hadn't drawn blood, and so this was the first time Egil had ever seen his own. If anything, it was the final testament that he was as mortal here as Rin; "…am I bleeding?"

"Just a tear below your right eye." Tsubaki sighed with clear relief; "What about your head, any dizziness, nausea?"

Egil knew Tsubaki was referring to concussions. He most likely did have one, but knew it would dissipate before he could even make it to the infirmary, where the instructor would no-doubt send him should he reveal it. It would just be a waste of time; "No, I'm fine. Do we have to do this again now?"

"No, no, you would have passed if not for the fall…Go ahead and take a break, both of you. Alright, next we'll have-" Tsubaki started, halting when the most inane, unusual music started playing from his jacket. Egil wasn't certain what he was hearing, seeing no instruments nor radios anywhere nearby, and having not seen the instructor turn one on. Tsubaki, on the other hand, withdrew a small object from a pocket, unfolding the piece of plastic making the odd tones; "Yessssss, what is it Honey?"

Egil wasn't certain if his surprise should be directed at Tsubaki talking to the small device, or the way the man's facial expression changed to degrees he did not wish to comprehend.

"R-right now? Oh, what would you do without me, my Kitten?" the man exclaimed, his eyes wide with what seemed like anticipation. Putting away the small device, the instructor turned to the rest of them, including Egil who was yet on the ground; "Listen up, we're going to be taking a short break!"

"What was that thing?" Egil whispered to Rin.

"Now, listen up." Tsubaki called before Rin could answer; "The Leaper is ordinarily a relatively docile demon. But it has the nasty habit of reading people's minds and attacking. Until I get back, every one of you is to stay up here, well out of range of the Leaper's chain. Got it?"

"Wait, where's he-" Izumo started.

"If-that's-clear-then-I'm-off!" it came out almost as a single word, leaving Egil stunned as he watched their instructor sprint towards the exit with speeds supposedly impossible for humans; "I'll be _right_ there, Kitteeeen!"

"…oh my gods." Shima breathed before breaking into a wide grin; "H-he just got a booty-call!"

"The _Fuck_ is that?" Suguro demanded; "and he calls himself a fucking _teacher_?!"

"…I'm not sure I understand what just happened." Egil groaned as he got to his feet, rubbing a hand across where he now had a tear ripped across his cheek. It stung, but also tingled as he could feel the injury already begin to heal; "Why did he leave like that?"

"Does a 'booty-call' mean what I _think_ it means?" Elise mused, a single finger poised on her lower lip. Egil sat himself down on the edge of the pit, preferring to sit facing away from the others as his wounds healed. He wasn't yet sure how unusual it would seem when his tear closed, and didn't need questions.

"Depends on what you _think_ it means." Shima grinned widely, nudging her on the arm. She returned the gesture, only somewhat _harder_ ; "OW!"

A faint tremor, barely more than a vibration, ran through the room. No one but he and Izumo seemed to notice it, both of them sitting at the edge of the pit. Even then, he wasn't sure she had felt it. Egil knew Japan, this part especially, oftentimes found itself subjected to tremors as the bedrock shifted. It was normal.

"Just tell me what it means, Renzo." She deadpanned, offering the boy a flat stare. Egil still found it somewhat amusing that similarities truly seemed to reject each other. He knew a saying went by 'opposites attract', so he assumed one also existed for this. Otherwise it did now.

"Shima, _please_ don't." Konekomaru exclaimed, a look of terror upon his face. Egil had to admit, he could see what Elise meant when she described the smaller youth as a lost pup.

Another tremor, this time stronger, rippled through the floor beneath him, and this time, every person around him noticed it as well. All conversation ceased, more than one mouth gaping with confusion.

"…was that an earthquake?" Bon asked of the room. He looked between Shima and Konekomaru, as if either would know more than he. Egil had never experienced earthquakes before, and found the concept simultaneously terrifying and amazing.

"Aren't we like, in the Academy's basement?" Renzo mused, his voice laced with more uncertainty than he likely wanted to show; "I mean, this place's built to withstand that kind of thing, right?"

A fresh tremor shook the floor beneath them. This time, it felt more like a pounding hammer than the shifting of the earth beneath them. Bon and Shiemi stumbled, Rin catching the latter by her arm, while Bon crashed into Izumo.

"Thát didn't feel like an earthquake to me." Suguro stated, facing the center of the room. Egil was already looking down there, where the chained Leaper was close to strangling itself on its chain. The creature hopped around, hoarse screams echoing throughout the room as it seemed to flee the floor itself; "Hey, Koneko, what's under this floor?"

"I don't think-" a renewed shockwave _hammered_ the ground beneath them, sending those standing to their knees. Down below, the Leapers in their cages were going mad, swinging their cages almost horizontally as they leapt around in the confined spaces, while the chained one had stretched its leash to the very brink, eyes bulging with animalistic terror; "I don't think there's anything under us, just the ground!"

"What the _fuck's_ going on then?"

"Shouldn't we get out of here?" Renzo said, getting to his feet just as a new tremor tore the through the room, sending the youth on his face; "Where's mister Tsu-"

The center of the pit below them cracked.

It was a single, centric crack in the concrete floor, spreading like a spider's web, causing all voices to cease as their owners stared. Egil discovered himself back on his feet, heart beating against his ribs. He found Elise to share in the wild stares directed at the lowered section, and looked back down. It was just in time to watch the cracks expand, and then _explode_ upwards and outwards, chunks of rock blowing the Leaper-cages off their hinges and into the air.

The noise was terrible; a mix of screaming demons, rocks hitting rocks, twisting and breaking metal and the sound of himself hitting the ground again. When he managed to sit back up, he saw the chained Leaper still fighting its leash, the thick iron chain stretching across the hole that had been ripped open in the floor.

"What the…" Rin grunted, likewise getting to a straight seating. Shiemi more or less tumbled away, trying to stand as well. The tremors had stopped, but now there was a _hole_ in the floor; "There's a hole in the floor. Why's there a hole in the floor?"

"T-the tremors stopped." Miwa piped up, kneeling at the edge of the sloping stone; "Was there a sinkhole under the floor?"

Down below, the Leaper hadn't yet ceased its struggles against the chain. Egil watched with only slowly dawning realization when _something_ reached out of the hole and ripped the chain from the central pillar. No one spoke as eight pairs of eyes watched the demon give off a final, pleading shriek before it was yanked down the hole by its own chain.

"…That's not a sink-hole." Elise whispered, fear washing over her words. Egil's eyes widened in terror as the words sunk in. Down below, only the sound of bones snapping and flesh tearing could be heard. The shrieks had stopped. The Leapers in their cages were all unmoving, either dead or unconscious. Elise's voice rose to a panicked yell; "That's not a fucking sink-hole!"

A roar, like a beast from Muspelheim was her answer.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" Suguro yelled; "…did it _just fucking eat_ the Leaper?!"

"High-class Demons can't come into the Academy, _right_?!" Renzo yelled, stumbling to his feet. His face was drained of color, eyes wide with fear. Egil didn't blame him: he felt much the same himself. This was really, _really_ bad; " _RIGHT?!"_

Egil was rarely wrong when he made assumptions. Most of the times, he was glad whenever he was right, and sour whenever he was proven wrong. Today, he would have given a great deal to have been wrong. Because his assumption included mortal danger to everyone in the room.

"Egil…?" Elise whispered, her voice barely above a tremble.

Egil, however, found he was unable to answer, eyes instead locked onto the hole. A massive, meaty fist was visible now, grabbing onto the edge of broken concrete. Naked, black skin. A second hand, this one smeared with blood, joined the first, and the room trembled as a massive Jotunn dragged itself from the breach.

* * *

 **This is what happens when people don't think I have a plan: Now someone might just die.**

 **I _do_ have this whole thing planned, in case you were wondering, which I know a lot of you probably are. All's fair though, this was something I planned from the moment I read the manga past chapter 40. Won't say why, though. And I read the manga _before_ I started on the story, though I only read the whole thing - so far, so good - after I'd written the introduction. **

**Oh, and in case some here only know Jotunn from Marvel's Thor or SAO, let me put it this way: Jotunn are what most likely gave Stan Lee the idea for the Hulk. They're towering, monstrous, man-eating humanoids capable of doing the dick-swinging with the gods themselves. The largest known to the sagas, Moggur, was so large that he could lie in a lake and be taken for an island. In case you are currently pondering "but shouldn't Mephisto's barrier keep everything out?"**

 **Well, it is always only stated and explained how the barrier stops "High-class demons" from entering the Academy. Jotunn are _not_ demons, and as such Mephisto never even considered including them in the barrier. Also, to those thinking Egil and Elise are overpowered: Egil couldn't outrun a _Leaper_. That's a demon _Izumo_ could outrun it without problems. The only "overpowered" thing about Egil is the fact that he received quality education for almost a millenia.**

 **This is all mainly to make sure I don't get any more angry or offended - not offend _ing_ \- comments on how the siblings are overpowered(may I remind some people that they are the children of _gods_?) and that there is no way a Jotunn could break through the Demon King of Space and Time's magical barrier. Compared to Rin, as we see in the Impure King arch, neither sibling is in _any_ way overpowered.**

 **And I do not own Blue Exorcist, and no, this story isn't going to end up in the crossover-section. Why? Because of two things. 1) I'd never go to the trouble of visiting the "Norse Mythology" section on because it's all bloody Marvel-inspired anyway - that or simply a rewrite of the Eddas or a 500 words pondering, and 2) because Mephisto himself opened up for Norse mythology to be a thing at the dinner with Rin. I simply work on the assumption that he was bullshitting Rin, or that Kazue Katõ didn't know enough about Norse Mythology to realize the implications of mentioning Loki. Anyway, I will say this now because whenever I withhold something, I end up getting accused of A) having no plan and no idea what I'm doing or B) stealing everything I put in the chapters from Katõ.**

 **This may all just be _one_ guest being disgruntled with my work, but I thought I'd better include everything here so I can be spared a verbal assault in the future. Also, if you intend to hammer down on everything I have written, at least fekking do so as a regular account so I can respond to the critisism. **

**As for the rest of you, I do hope you will continue to enjoy my work - and I do NOT own Blue Exorcist. I hammered that down in the first actual chapter, in great details, yet someone seems to have skipped that part - and please, please let me know of misakes in grammar, lore or otherwise that I might have missed, preferably without accusing me of copyright-infringement.**

 **Roku out :)**


	8. Blood on the Wall

_So, before we even start, I would like to apologize or the sub-par update. I know some of you have waited along time for it, and this is more than likely not what you deserved. The issue I have mainly had is that I have been struggling to keep Egil and Elise not overpowered, but at the same time stronger than your average Exorcist._

 _And doing that has been a pain in the butt-cheeks._

 _The other thing is, surprisingly, that I suck at melee-fight scenes. Ranged fighting with guns or magic? Easy. Melee with a hammer, while also keeping the fighter below overpowered, is neigh impossible for me. So, to those of you who complained that Egil was overpowered: Here, this is your end result. I hope you enjoy being one reason for the extremely awkward fighting-scene._

 _As for the rest of you, I hope you will still be here at the end of the chapter. If I come across as negative, I try not to. I'm just burning through my recourses and reserves doing this._

* * *

 **Blood on the Wall**

* * *

The room, for all that chaos hang in the air, remained deathly quiet.

The Leapers made no sounds, likely because they were all dead or unconscious. The Jotunn made no sounds, as it stared at the comparatively tiny students, and neither did the students dare make a move or speak a word, mostly for fear that it would somehow be what it took to trigger the trespassing giant's rage.

Egil could feel his heartbeat spiral out of control. In front of him stood a _Jotunn_. A creature of Jotunnheim that had someone managed to break into the academy. Why? Why was it here? Had it been after him and Elise, or was it all a coincidence? Regardless of the reason, he knew this was bad, _horrifyingly_ bad, and for so many reasons that he was unsure whether or not they all could not just be one and the same.

He could already feel his hair stand, raised like a forest from his head. Not even the braids and ties could hold it down, and he did not have the mental peace of mind to hold it down. Glancing at his sister, he found her likewise uncaring for her hair, instead pale with fear as she stared wide-eyed at the giant.

" _Hrrrrrr hrrrrrrr hrrrrrrr!_ " what sounded like churning gravel betrayed the Jotunn's amusement, as it chuckled at the sight of the terrified and stunned beings before it. Eyes as yellow as gold, with beads as black as coal glared down in a twisted grin. Predatory fangs, some protruding from the mouth itself, glinted in the light from the lamps; "Boss was right; Hela's little chickens left the pen. Me gonna make you into chicken-mush!"

There was most likely nothing worse the giant could have said, because this more than anything meant the Jotunn was here for _them_. This wasn't a coincidence of any kind; this was someone who had found out Egil and Elise had left Helheim, and grabbed the opportunity with a claws and nails.

"Evacuate the room!" the giant's amusement temporarily became surprise when a new voice called out from somewhere above, roughly on level with its left shoulder. Egil recognized the voice before he did the sight, and found Yukio having emerged from one of the upper entrances to the cavernous room. Both firearms were out and pointed at the giant, who only seemed once more amused at the tiny human defying it. How long had he been there? "Get OUT!"

That was all it took for the students to react. Renzo, who was closest to the entrance, bolted before Yukio's last word had finished its echo. The rest followed his example, even as gunshots started ringing throughout the hall. Only one refused to even move, causing Egil to hesitate in his own escape.

"RIN! He said to run!" he growled, grabbing the half-demon's arm; "Yukio can-"

" _LITTLE CHICKS DON'T RUN!"_ the Jotunn roared, launching himself from the pit as if Yukio's bullets failed to even get its attention. The massive black body crashed into the upper walkway, very nearly turning Bon into a smear underneath it; " _LITTLE CHICKS GET EATEN! BOSS SAYS SO, YES HE DOES!"_

It rose above them, half-naked above the waist as the pelts of bears and other animas covered it underneath. Bones of birds, mammals and even fish dangled from the rope holding it all up. Each toe, seven protruding from each naked foot, bore long claws common for trolls. Also dangling from its waist was a club, longer than a human being, which ended in a boulder tied up with thick ropes.

It all pointed to something else than Jotunnheim. Egil had never heard of black-skinned ones from that place, only those looking like the common mountain giants. Only one place _had_ black-skinned Jotunn, as far as he knew.

"What the _Hell_ is that thing?!" Rin yelled, leaping back as the Jotunn started for them. Egil was already running as well, only not away. He was terrified and felt like his heart was about to burst out through his ribcage, but there was also a sense of…certainty. He had been taught how to deal with this, even if only in theory.

"It's a Jotunn!" Elise replied, her voice as frantic as the son of Satan's. Her hands were already waving through the air, seemingly grasping at nothingness itself; "It's a really big mean pile of shit with teeth!"

"How'd it get _in_?!"

"Doesn't matter just _run_!" Egil yelled, split between providing an example of his own words, and standing his ground. Being who he was, the son of Balder, god of Light, there was nothing for him but to choose the latter, and suffer the consequences.

Elise, however, seemed to not have heard her brother. She was frozen to the spot before the Jotunn's onslaught, wide-eyed in terror as the massive creature thundered towards her. Already the maul was freed from its belt, soaring through the air as it aimed to smear the white-haired girl across the concrete.

" _LITTLE CHICKIES DON'T RUN! LTTLE CHICKES STAY AND PLAY!"_

"ELISE! _RUN_!" Egil screamed, his voice caught between terror and protective rage as he impacted his sister, shoving her aside with the force of a charging bull. Even as his back hit her, Egil's hands withdrew Bani from within his uniform, unfolding the warhammer from its compacted size to full.

He only managed just that, as the maul hit him. Or rather, it did not hit _him_ , as it had attempted to track Elise when she was moved. As such, it pounded the floor only a few centimeters from where Egil stood, the tremors sending the god-child stumbling back. Screaming in rage at a missed kill, the Jotunn drew its foot back and kicked forward, impacting Egil in the ribs. The massive foot impacted him with force that would have killed, if not torn apart humans, and but instead sent _him_ soaring through the air.

The pain lasted only for all but a brief span of seconds as he flew, during which he didn't yet fully understand what had just happened. He couldn't see where in the room he was, only that all noise and sound seemed to have merged, and his vision swam with colors and bright flashes.

Then he hit the wall, and the pain overwhelmed his mind. The room vanished, and the air was ripped from his lungs as he felt bones break and muscles tear. The worst was his head, which felt like it was being ripped open and stitched back together repeatedly. The magic inherent in his blood was all that was keeping him alive, and even then it was having difficulties keeping up with the raw physical trauma.

Still, the pain was already receding, even as Egil could feel his bones reknit and his torn muscles mend themselves. It only slowly became apparent to him that he was currently stuck vertically on the wall, imbedded in the crater formed when his body did not simply smear across the stone. It was, however, very much slick with blood, and he could only imagine the sight anyone watching was presented with. _Thor…himself could…probably not have done that…Shouldn't…either. Fenris' cock that…hurt. Hurts._

Then, as his body finally rejected the pieces of wall stuck in him, Egil felt how first his head dipped forward, then his left arm when it healed itself and dangled limply into the air. When the his body was no longer supported by either arm, he felt the air in his face as he simply fell forward from the wall.

Someone screamed. It sounded like it was his name, but he couldn't be certain.

He wasn't very _high_ up on the wall, but it was high enough that his tumble through the air allowed him a full turn, letting him crash hip-first into the ground.

Once the most overwhelming pain had ceased clouding his mind and vision, Egil was able to sit against the wall, numbly aware of the noise coming off from ahead of him. There were roars, yelling and the same repeated note of gunfire. The latter was likely Yukio, still believing he could take down a Jotunn with the same means as any demon.

There were screams too. One particular scream was far more familiar than the others, those being of the panicked humans somehow not yet evacuated from the room. Elise wasn't the one screaming, much to his simultaneous relief and worry. It could mean so many things until he actually found her, and the steady tremors going through the ground only served to make it all the harder for him to get up.

The screams came from Izumo.

When his eyes refocused and became clear once again, Egil found first his sister to be unharmed, remaining more or less where he'd shoved her to the side. He then followed the sound of the screams, and found the dark-haired girl swinging through the air, one leg held in the iron-fisted grip of the giant.

" _YOUZ NOT CHICKIE, JUST LITTLEZ BUG!"_ the Jotunn declared as if the girl had deliberately done it offense. Izumo, on her part, changed back and forth between screams for help and demands to be set down. The latter became pleas soon enough when it was evident that she could not make the barbaric giant obey her; " _I STOMPZ ON-!_ "

The Jotunn's victorious laughing turned to howls of pain in the blink of an eye. Egil was, for but a moment, unable to understand the reason for this until the man-eating giant turned, slapping at his own back with both hands. Izumo apparently forgotten. _By Yggdrasil, if I don't get her out of there quickly-_

His thoughts snapped when he saw what the Jotunn was slapping at. Dangling by the jaws, teeth sunk deep into the thick hide of the giant's back, _Garmr_ had appeared, and was causing the Jotunn far more agony than Yukio's bullets likely ever could. The Hound of Helheim's pitch-like black fur already gleamed with the black blood running from the tear he had made in the monster's back.

Then Izumo was no longer in the giant's hand. At some point, in some moment where Egil had not looked, the girl had been discarded, tossed aside like a picked bone when she clearly did not serve as proper leverage against the hound. Now, somehow Rin was kneeling on the ground, not far away, holding the unconscious and bleeding girl in his arms.

The son of Satan seemed struck with horror. Horror, and a rage Egil very much felt himself.

It was one thing, terrible though it was, that the Jotunn and trolls would try coming after him and E. That much they had both been prepared for when leaving Helheim, though it had at the time been nothing more than one of numerous risks they were taking. Yet still, it had been a risk _they_ were taking.

Izumo had never been asked.

Reaching into the air, Egil grasped at what little magic he retained. Bani, flung from his grasp when the Jotunn had kicked him, answered his beckon and returned to his hand with a _thwack_ , as metal impacted flesh. The slightest flickers of dancing sparks already ran across his arms.

"Rin, see the others to safety!"

"What do you – What're you gonna _do_?!"

Egil wasn't actually certain of which reply would fit. He didn't have one, and didn't really think he needed to specify why he was already now running towards the thrashing Jotunn, Bani gripped firmly in both hands. The golden hammer, in its complete form, was a true work of dwarven art. The shaft was long enough that one needed both hands to properly swing it, and the head was enchanted iron, made so that it would not break regardless of what he hit.

In some ways, he supposed it resembled what Mjolnir was meant to have been. In others, he knew it was nowhere near the power of Thor's hammer. One against the other, he knew Thor would win.

But the Jotunn before him wasn't the god of thunderstorms and lightning. It was a simple, brutish monster that deserved naught but to be put down like the beast it was.

He struck the Jotunn as Garmr sank its teeth into the giant's shoulder. Swinging Bani horizontally at the Jotunn's right leg, avoiding its left as the giant kicked at him again. This time, he knew to dodge, and exploited that now all the weight was on just one tree trunk-like leg. The golden warhammer impacted on black, tough hide, easily pulping muscle underneath. The bone was still somewhat intact, however.

" _GAAAAAAH! LITTLE RAT GONNA DIE!"_ If there was such a thing as a voice capable of crushing granite, Egil would not doubt the Jotunn possessed it. The roar echoed through the cavernous room, and he felt as his very being vibrated from it; " _LITTLE RATZ GONNA DIE NOW!"_

Twisting around at a new angle, the giant finally got a hold of Garmr, and flung the hound away like so large a sack. Garmr managed a turn in the air, landing solidly on his paws with elegance few cats could match. Liquid embers dripping from its maws, the hound of Helheim changed straight back into the fray as had nothing happened.

Egil, meanwhile, had become the sole target of the Jotunn's wrath.

He didn't know what Elise was doing, or if she had fled, but he didn't have the chance to check. Meaty fists the size of boulders pounded the ground, cracking the floor as they attempted to smear him like a bug, or grab him in a deadly embrace. Egil, for his part, wanted nothing to do with either, and spent much more energy simply avoiding the attacks than he did striking back.

" _KILL YOU! SQUASH YOU! MASH YOU!"_

Egil, in his mind, had once considered several witty remarks and replies to that kind of threats. He had never imagined that simply _not_ being caught would require far too much of his attention for him to actually stop and speak.

" _EAT YOU! CRUSH YOU!"_

So when Garmr struck, and buried his fangs in the Jotunn's arm, Egil was finally granted a chance to hit back. Even as the giant reeled and swatted at the stubborn hound, _he_ used his own momentum, spun in place and swung Bani with full force, downwards on the squarely planted foot.

Skin broke, muscle tore and bones shattered as the hammer fell, and to the Jotunn, Garmr suddenly no longer mattered. Egil withdrew his hammer from the crater-like wound he had wrought the giant, leaping out of the way as monster did its utmost to smear him across the concrete.

" _KILL YOU! EAT YOU! KILL YOU!"_

He stumbled.

" _NOW YOU DIE!"_

The world, to Egil at least, seemed to slow down as the hand not dragged away by Garmr grabbed for him. The meaty hand already showed signs of where bullets that were likely no more bothersome than needle-pricks had struck, black skin leaking blood of equal color. The hand itself was large enough that it could and would easily hold him, and he doubted he could simply break loose if first the giant caught him.

" _EEEEAAAAAAT YOUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"_

It was likely not so much the bullets striking the giant as it was the flash of blue fire sweeping across Egil's vision. At first, he feared he had died, and that what he saw was in truth Niflheim's icy flames and fog. Then, the fires passed him by, and he realized that what actually occurred was Rin. _That…idiot. I told him to…to…_

Slowly, the hand the Jotunn had stretched for him slid off its wrist, no longer attached as skin, muscle and bone had been cut cleanly through. Egil, for a moment as he was slumped on his rear, could but stare in wide-eyed disbelief as the hand fell to the ground, just beside where Rin now stood, burning blade unsheathed and held at the ready.

And Rin too, was aflame. _Is this what Elise saw in the garden?_

"Come on, you can't just lie there!" Rin yelled, even as he nimbly leapt backwards to avoid the thrashing Jotunn's attempt at stomping him.

With one foot crushed, the other leg severely hurt and only one hand yet attached to its arm, the giant was growing panicked. And with the panic came feral rage.

"Rin! You're on fire!"

"Yeah I noticed!"

That answer, such as it was, did not exactly invite further questions. Neither did the still very much alive Jotunn, as it frantically swatted at the two, ignoring Garmr even as the hound's bite was bleeding it dry. Much could likely be said about the hound, but he was stubbornly loyal and ferocious above all.

"Where's my sister?!" the terror was absolute when he did not see her still.

"She took Izumo out of the room." Rin called, running behind the Jotunn, drawing its eyes from Egil; "She's safe, don't worry."

"Thank Yggdrasil…" even in this moment of danger and adrenaline roaring through his body, Egil found a measure of peace in that knowledge.

And with the giant's attention on the source of the blue flames, drawn like a moth as it was, Egil took off, warhammer held at the ready as he leapt at the wavering monster. Aimed at the chest, he swung the hammer with brutal force down.

When it connected, there was a sundering scream of agony from the giant, as ribs broke and organs were crushed. Bani had imbedded itself in the Jotunn's chest, and lodged itself between the ribs. Much as he heaved and tore, Egil could not free it, even as the giant's thrashings turned far more desperate, and Rin became all but forgotten.

As such, when the massive creature toppled forwards, Garmr still dragging it down by the arm, Egil had no option but to jump. Even so, he could not get out of the way as he landed on the cracked floor, and the lights dimmed around him as the tumbling body of the giant came down hard.

* * *

Everything had happened _way_ too fast.

One moment, Rin had been expecting Egil to be dead. The giant monsterhad _kicked_ him through the room and into a wall, after all, so how the Hell wouldn't he had been dead? Then again, he was forced to remember the few dozens of hammers the white-haired boy had dropped on him and Yukio earlier.

What with him and his sister not exactly being humans either.

And now, after finally having brought down the insanely huge, man-like giant or monster or _whatever_ the fuck it was, Rin could only watch in horror as Egil failed to get out of the way. When the giant collapsed, it did so on top of the boy, with a crash that shook the room to its foundations.

"Rin!"

Yukio's voice only now stated getting through. Turning in its direction, Rin saw Yukio approaching at full sprint, both pistols still held at the ready. How long _had_ he been here? When had he even arrived? Or, had he been here all the time? _There were gunshots earlier…Shit, he was here all along?_

"Yukio?"

"Rin, _get that sword sheathed_!" Yukio hissed, stopping a meter away from him. It took a moment before he realized what his brother meant, and then promptly did just that. Shit, if any of the others had returned while he'd been…If they'd seen him, _that_ would definitely mean some heavy explaining, not to mention a shitstorm of questions and accusations. And now Egil was underneath that thing; "Are you alright?"

"I'm- yeah, I'm fine, but Egil-" he started, pointing at the seemingly very-much-dead giant.

"I know, I saw…" Yukio sighed, now looking at the huge body as well; "How do we…get him out from underneath that thing?"

"Do you think he's okay?" Rin asked, shoving at the corpse. Regardless of how much effort he put into it, he could just barely budge the skin, let alone actually _move_ the fucking thing. When he looked at his brother, Yukio was leveled such a flat stare at him that it actually made Rin stop trying to move the body; "… _what_?"

"Brother, can you even…" Yukio cut himself off; " _Look_ at that thing. Whatever it is, there is _no_ way Egil survived-"

"Survived _what_?" the voice wasn't either twin's, but instead belonged to the new arrival. Both glancing up at the same time, Elise met their stares with one of her own to match. The girl looked _horrifying_ , as well as _horrified_. Her steel-grey eyes wide with trepidation and lingering fright, and every strand of hair standing as if she had been electrocuted; "Where's Egil? Where's _my brother_?"

Yet, despite clearly still being scared shitless, the girl was way scarier to Rin than the giant he'd just helped kill.

"Under the…giant thing…" he sighed, knowing it would only take her seconds to process his words before the grief struck, or maybe denial.

"Wh…He's… _underneath_ the Jotunn?" she demanded, voice slowly turning from fright to frustration and anger. Rin nodded; "Was he alive when…"

"Yes, he just didn't…get out of the way…"

"…For _fucks'_ sake, and you actually made me think he was _dead_!" she snarled at the both of them, shoving them aside as she stepped up to the corpse of the…Had she called it a 'Jotunn', just now? Wait, she'd done that when it had appeared, hadn't she? Did that mean she _knew_ what kind of creature this was? "Egil, stop fucking taking a nap in there and come out."

And then she _kicked_ the dead body, as if that would make a difference. Rin was still just trying to decide whether she had ended up in denial, or if he was missing something. _He_ couldn't even budge the damn thing, so what was she…

The corpse started to rise. Rin's train of thought exploded more than simply derailed, trying to understand what he was looking at.

"I am _not_ taking a nap!" it was Egil's voice, sounding like he was more irritated than injured. And he was _lifting_ the dead body! Even as the dead giant's body looked like it was performing some weird sort of yoga, Rin could see in the space underneath, a pair of feet planted squarely on the floor, cracks spreading in cobwebs from each foot; "My hammer got stuck in its chest!"

"You're not attached to the hammer, _dumbass_!" Elise swore, even as Rin was still struggling to understand. It didn't help matters that the massive, creepy dog he'd seen attacking the giant was now helping the boy haul away the corpse. God, this was definitely the definition of _fucked up_ , if he'd ever seen it; "Why didn't you _jump_?"

"I _did_."

" _Really_?"

"Yes."

"That's not what it…Forget it…" she drew in a heaving breath, then released the whole thing in a long, drained sigh; "Are you okay?"

Egil, emerging from underneath the corpse, rolled his shoulders with a nod. He was more or less covered in blood from head to toe, and the white hair had turned pitch-black. So had the rest of him, really, so it wasn't because it just looked like he'd dyed the fucking thing. _Shit though, how the Hell did he even-?_

"I am fine, yes." He nodded again, then looked around at what was now a ruin of a room; "Son of a whore though, how by the Hel do we explain _this_?"

* * *

 **So yes, not what you were hoping for/expecting, most likely, but when it comes to melee-fights, I just don't have any real experience writing them.**

 **Bugger all though, I've been rewriting this thing twice already. The first version was _horrible_ , while the second only litte better. This one was as good as I can make it, and I still postponed the update for two days. **


End file.
